


Heroes and Halfbloods

by astroqueen



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Based on DnD Campaign, Battling, Bullying, F/M, Fighting, Implied Relationships, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Mythology - Freeform, Oblivious main character, Origin Story, Sex Jokes, Swearing, a lot of things are implied because Maddie is oblivious, pinning, someone please let her be happy, takes place 100 years after the percy jackson books, there's a lot of characters and I'm too lazy to tag them all
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:54:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24843370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astroqueen/pseuds/astroqueen
Summary: Maddie Easton wants one thing in life, to be recognized and favored by the gods. Upon finding out that her father is one of the Greek gods of legends, her entire life changes. Starting from her first day of camp and highlighting the major moments in her early teen years until the moment when everything changes and her first adventure truly begins, this is the story of a regular halfblood who became a hero.
Relationships: Original D&D Character(s)/Original D&D Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. Author's Note

Hello! Sorry to be that person who is writing an author's note on the first chapter instead of just getting to the story but I thought it would be better to give some context first. If you don't care about that, then go right ahead to the first chapter!

So this story is based off of a Percy Jackson DnD campaign that I am a part of with my character Maddie. This campaign takes place roughly 100 years after the Percy Jackson books but the world is mostly unchanged. The gods still exist, Chiron and Mr. D still run the camp, monsters are still around, etc, etc. The only thing is that none of the characters from the Percy Jackson books will be appearing in person. There may be references to them or if the party goes to the underworld or something they might meet them but if you're here for the og PJ characters you're in the wrong place unfortunately. 

The second thing I want to say is that while this is a DnD campaign and you probably want to meet the party and watch their shenanigans that's not how this story starts. I decided to start off Maddie's story at the beginning, when she first arrives at camp and go throughout her life showing major moments that shaped her as a character. I promise that we will eventually get to when the party comes in and they start adventuring so don't worry, but I really love Maddie as a character and wanted to explore her early life through writing. If that sounds too boring for you or if you just want to meet the party and follow everything they do, then I recommend you check out my DM's story instead! I told him that I wanted to start writing the story down of our characters and him, being a writer as well, wanted to try his hand at it too! His story follows Marcus, an NPC character he created for the party but has begun to serve a much larger role in the campaign as we continue on with our adventures. (https://archiveofourown.org/works/25414012/chapters/61632814) The story he is writing starts when the party begins to form and takes place in the "present time" of the campaign while showing flashbacks scenes throughout. So if that's more your style and you're more interested in that, go check out his story! (But I mean check both of our stories out anyways because they're both great and it's cool to see the events of the story from two different perspectives)

Thirdly, as good as my memory is and as good as my note taking is for sessions, not everything will be 100% accurate. For example, we had a party member leave the campaign early on due to circumstances so I may not include them in this story, or because I'm not the other PC's I don't really know how they talk or act all the time so I may be doing a lot of guess work. I will do my best to recall the events of the campaign as best I can but I can't guarantee they'll be completely exact (this note is mainly for if any of the people from the campaign see and read this story and they're confused or unhappy with my retelling of everything). This is also to say that if something major happens in the campaign that could drastically effect the story (such as you know, Maddie dies or something in a dungeon in game) I may rework the outcome in story, since it would be unsatisfying for a fan fiction/story to just end randomly during one chapter. I will also say this now, I will update this story randomly. I don't have a set schedule for it and I don't always have time to write so I can't promise anything (also since this campaign is currently on hiatus due to quarantine, if we magically catch up to the campaign in story it would be hard for me to write the next part since I don't actually know what happens next)

Lastly, (sorry for rambling) before you ask, yes. I am the same astroqueen who made a cosplay of Maddie on my Tiktok account and this is how this whole rabbit hole started. Essentially, I cosplayed my DnD character for fun and people started asking me more about her and her story, so I decided to start documenting it in a story-like format on here. So yes, I am aware that there is a cosplay of Maddie in the world and I'm aware that people already know her to some extent. That's me, I did that. I'm the same person. I'm a crackhead both in cosplay and in writing sorry not sorry. 

I think that's about it. I may make notes or other chapters dedicated to author's notes in the future if things need clarifying or if there are other things I've forgotten to mention but yeah! Thanks for taking the time to read this story! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!


	2. Part 1: First Day

“This is Marcus. He will be showing you around for now since our head of the Hermes cabin is away right now.”

Maddie shifted her attention from the tall man next to her. Well, actually, the tall centaur next to her, to look at the young boy who had just appeared. He looked around her age but was already a lot taller then she was, almost towering over her. He didn’t look happy. Maddie started playing with her braided red hair in an attempt to stop her hands from shaking.

“Go on now.” The man standing next to her gave her a tiny push, one that caused her to stumble forward. She glanced anxiously between the two and quickly stuck out her hand, her arm almost as stiff as a board.

“I’m Maddie!” She exclaimed, nervously.

“Marcus.” He didn’t even attempt to reach for her outstretched hand, just kept his own hands in his pockets and spun around, walking away from her.  
Maddie, unsure of what to do, looked at Chiron who gave a nod down to her. She quickly ran after the boy.

It was her first day at camp. Only two days ago she had been safe at home with her mother. Just as it had always been. That all changed though when a giant beast had attacked their store. Maddie had cried and panicked while her mother desperately tried to protect her. Luckily, a satyr had apparently been watching close by and jumped into action to save them. Maddie hadn’t been around for most of the conversation that had followed afterwards, but the way her mother and their savior yelled at each other it wasn’t hard to pick up on pieces of the conversation. The satyr had accused Maddie’s mother of putting her in danger because she wasn’t allowing Maddie to go someplace that was supposed to keep her safe. Her mother accused the satyr of trying to take her precious daughter away from her forever. Along with the conversation, there was talk of a camp, heroes, and gods. 

Before Maddie had even gotten the chance to voice her opinion, the satyr demanded she pack as much as she could within the next ten minutes and leave with him. Maddie’s mom put up no fight and cried as Maddie’s hand was taken by the older boy and she was led away from her home. Maddie then found herself in the rolling hills of what was known as Camp Halfblood. Upon the first sight of it Maddie’s breath had been taken away. Her mother rarely permitted her to leave the house, much less the city itself. Seeing the countryside for the first time, with its crystal blue sky, rows and rows of trees in the forest, and the lake! Maddie had never seen such a beautiful body of water before! She had just wanted to run in and splash around forever! 

Instead, she was taken to an old man who’s front half was that of a human and the other half was that of a horse, who went on to explain that she was a demigod. Her! A daughter of a god! It was so impossible yet...yet so...

“S-so...the gods are real…?” Maddie looked up at the boy in front of her.

“As real as you and me kid. Chiron gave you the rundown I assume?”

Maddie nodded her head but then realized he wasn’t looking at her. “Yeah...he did.”

“Yeah well, it’s a lot to take in at first so don’t worry too much-”

“It’s so cool isn’t it!? The gods who have been around for thousands of years are still alive today? I wonder if I’ll ever get to meet any of them...Do they visit the camp here? Have you met any of them? I just think it would be so neat to ask them about what life was like back then or what their favorite foods are or even what hobbies they enjoy. Do you think any of them like photography?”

“Do you ever shut up?”

“Huh?”

Marcus stopped in his tracks and spun around to face Maddie for the first time dead on. His cold, blue eyes seemed to stare right into her soul. “You know, most kids when they get here are scared or confused. I can deal with that. They’re quiet and shy, not loud and obnoxious. If you want me to give you the tour then either shut the fuck up or figure it out on your own.”

“Oh...s-sorry.” Maddie instantly deflated, letting her shoulders tense and trying to make herself smaller then she already was. Maddie immediately shut up, falling in line quietly behind Marcus as he pointed out random places around the camp. Pavilion. Campfire pit. The lake. Strawberry fields. The cabins. Each place was more beautiful and wonderful than the last. Finally though, it was too much for her.

“Who’s your parent?”

Marcus stopped again and glared daggers at her, causing Maddie to shrink under his gaze once more.

“Ugh. Fine. It’s Aeolus. God of the wind.”

“No way…” Maddie’s jaw dropped open and she stared wide eyed at the boy in front of her, as if she was seeing him in a new light. “That’s so cool! When you pointed out the cabins I was worried that only the twelve Olympians had kids which made no sense cause obviously there are hundreds of other gods so how is it possible they don’t have kids? Gods like Caerus, Nike, and Iris have all been personal favorites of mine. But someone like the god of wind? That’s so powerful and cool! He must be super strong, especially down here since it’s so windy most of the time...well at least from what I know cause I only really heard the wind rattling around outside, never really felt it much myself. But still! Wind is super powerful so that must mean your dad is super powerful and in turn means you’re super powerful and cool!”

Marcus opened his mouth to respond and found that he couldn’t. This was a first. Even kids who had been here for a couple of years or so had trouble remembering who Aelous was, much less any other minor god. Yet, this girl just rambled about how much she loved them? That was...different.

“You...how much do you know about the gods?”

“A lot actually!” Maddie brightened and stood up a little straighter now that he was responding to her. “My mom taught me all about them! I never would have imagined...imagined that I...that I could be the child of one of them…” Maddie’s eyes glanced up towards the sky where the bright sun was shining happily above them. She couldn’t deny it, she had hopes. Her entire body filled with energy when she imagined what the possibilities of her dad might be. The first one that came to mind was always him. If it was him…

“Well...good on your mom then. Most people forget about the minor gods.” He gave a small inclination of his head towards the forest. Maddie squinted her eyes as she tried to make out the shape in the distance. A lot of small black dots lined the outskirts of the forest, almost looking like small houses. 

“A lot of kids here are children of minor gods. The cabins we saw earlier are for those who are the children of the twelve Olympians. Most minor god kids just get the short end of the stick so a lot of them have taken to building their own places to live near the forest instead. I wouldn’t recommend messing with them, they can be really standoffish, especially if we find out you’re the child of a major god.”   
Maddie frowned at this. Did the minor and major gods not get along? Were they enemies? Did they hate each other? She wanted to make as many friends as possible, she had felt that way the moment she had seen how many campers there were here. She had never known kids her own age and never got to interact with them by her mother’s orders. She had always wondered what it would be like to interact with other kids, with other people. This was her chance! But now...Marcus was telling her not to talk to some of them?

“Just keep in line, keep out of trouble, and maybe you’ll survive here.” Marcus continued walking again and Maddie had to trot to keep up with him and his long legs.   
“Where do I live then since I don’t know who my parent is?”

“Most of the time the Hermes kids house the new comers, god of travelers, right? However, the gods are a little more lenient nowadays. If you want, you could sleep in any cabin where there's room, even when your godly parent claims you. It’s wherever you’re most comfortable.”

“Where do you live?”

The question was innocent, especially since Maddie was only 12, but Marcus still let the smile spread across his face at how the implication probably went right over her head.  
“Kind of wherever. Most of the time in the cabin my friends and I built together, sometimes in the Aeolus cabin, sometimes in the trees.”

“Woah….” Maddie’ eyes drifted back to the giant forest, wondering what kind of mysteries it held. This whole place felt like a dream. Up until now she had only known the nature that her mother sold in her flower shop. She could identify any type of flower flawlessly but had never seen a full garden, or a forest, or even a patch of green grass. Things were so new and different. Everything here was so different. From the way her feet sunk into the dirt underneath her, to how the air smelled of strawberries as the wind picked up the scent from the fields and drifted it down over their heads. Her whole life she had known the inside of four walls and that was it. Nothing more and nothing less. Now, it was like the walls had opened up and left her in the middle of nowhere. And it was perfect.

“That concludes the tour. Food is given out at the pavilion in about two hours. I can lead you back to the Hermes cabin to get your sleeping arrangements if you want.” 

Ever since Maddie had talked about Marcus’ dad, his entire persona seemed to change. Sure, he was still quiet and had a mean looking face, but his words were not as harsh and now he was even offering to lead her around some more.

“Yes please!” Maddie jumped up with excitement, her smile growing. Had she made her first living friend? She couldn’t believe it. Marcus led the way back to the rows of cabins for the twelve Olympians. Maddie’s eyes wandered over the cabins one by one, noticing the detail work on each and correctly identifying each cabin in her head. That must be for Zeus cause it’s the biggest and has the storm clouds on it. Then that one is definitely Demeter cause of all the plants, mom would like that one for sure. Then…she stopped walking for a second as her eyes landed on one cabin in particular.   
It was light gray, nothing too special about it overall. A few carvings of wild animals and a bow and arrow at the top of the cabin. It was a little smaller than the other cabins and didn’t seem to have any activity inside of it. Yet, Maddie knew right away who it was for.

“Artemis…” The word felt magical now that Maddie knew that Artemis was so close to her. So near. For years she had found herself fascinated by the moon and talking to it. The moon had been her first and only friend when she lived at home. Artemis, Maddie knew and hoped, had been watching over Maddie to keep her safe and happy. It’s why she could always get the perfect view of the moon from her window each night, because Artemis made sure of it. She knew now it had to be true, right? All her day dreamings of Artemis finding her and treating her like one of her own might finally come true. After all, Artemis felt more like a mother to Maddie than her actual one, so she had to feel the same way...right?

“Hurry up kid!” Marcus’ voice called out to Maddie and broke her from her trance, she quickly hurried to catch up with Marcus.

“How do I meet Artemis?” Maddie’s eyes stared at Marcus’ back with such intensity and seriousness that it was almost as though she was hoping to burn a hold into his shirt with laser vision.  
He laughed in response.

“Good luck with that. Artemis has been quiet about gaining new recruits for her hunters ever since one of her best died. Thalia had been one of Artemis’ favorites for a loooong time. Ever since her death Artemis hasn’t really gathered too many other members.”

“Members for what?”

“You aren’t listening are you...alright fine. The hunters of Artemis. Artemis doesn’t have children right? However, she sometimes hand picks girls to join her on her hunts. They make a deal with one another. The girl chosen becomes immortal and helps Artemis in her battles but the girl must swear off dating and boys for the rest of her life.”

“Okay!”

“What?” This time Marcus stopped in his tracks and turned to face Maddie.

“I’m going to do what I can to become a hunter of Artemis! I know I can do it!”

“Look...kid...maybe don’t decide that on your first day of-”

“I promise not to date any boy from now on as the first step towards getting Artemis’ favor!”

“You’re a weird one, you know that?”

“Huh?”

“Nothing…” Marcus smirked at the girl in front of him and gave a noncommittal shrug. It wasn’t really his job to tell her what she could and could not do. If she wanted to waste her life trying to befriend a god who probably wouldn’t give her the time of day or night, then what did it matter? She’d probably get over it in a few days anyways. After all, Maddie was in her middle school years. She’d probably decide real quick that she would rather be with a boy then some random god.


	3. Chapter 2- New Faces and Friends

Marcus led her to the end of the row where the Hermes cabin laid and brought her inside to find a few campers milling about on their beds.

Maddie found herself shifting closer to Marcus as he went to one of the older campers to talk to him. The other campers were staring at the two of them. It made Maddie feel scared and uncomfortable. She wasn’t used to people looking at her. She once more started tugging anxiously at her hair.

“Hey, I know Casey isn’t here right now but you’re technically second in line for the cabin leader, Jimmy, so I figured I’d ask you. Kid here is new, you got any extra bunks to take her in?”

Maddie glanced up at the boy Marcus was talking to and his eyes landed on her small frame as well. He looked her up and down and a small smile appeared on his face. “Yeah, sure we can take her in. Might as well right? Name’s Jimmy, and you are?”

“M-Maddie.” Her voice cracked as she took his hand and shook it, his giant hand practically engulfing her own small one.

“Nice to meetcha kiddo. No need to be afraid here, we’re all family in the Hermes cabin.”

Marcus waved goodbye to the two and Jimmy went about helping Maddie set up a small space for her to sleep at. The Hermes cabin was easily one of the biggest and had the most amount of beds. They found a bunk near the back end of the cabin. It was a little smaller and the blankets were old and thin but Maddie didn’t mind. She put the small backpack that she had taken with her under the bed. She hadn’t packed too much. Some clothes, her hoodie, a toothbrush, and an old polaroid camera and some pictures she had taken. She didn’t know how long she was going to be away from home or how far away home was, so she wasn’t too concerned. However, she had to admit that she already was dreading having to leave this place. No doubt he mom wouldn’t want her to come back, especially after how loud she was screaming at the first prospect of her being taken away. If she could stay here…

Maddie still had about an hour before dinner so she took the time to wander around the grounds. Her first stop was immediately the lake. It reflected the sun so brightly it was almost blinding. She carefully put her hand in the water and gave a joyous scream when she felt how cold the waves were beneath her. She quickly kicked off her shoes and socks and ran into the water, splashing around and laughing to herself. She had never felt so free in her entire life. She never wanted the moment to end. 

A loud noise rang out throughout the fields, as if a giant conch had just been blown. Maddie stopped her playing and looked up, confused by the sound. Her eyes drifted towards the pavilion where she saw campers slowly starting to head towards. 

“Oh! I completely forgot!”

Maddie quickly ran out of the water, drenched head to toe, and put her shoes back on. As she was putting on her sneakers she heard laughter behind her and looked up. A few feet away was a group of kids, three boys and one girl. They were looking right at her and laughing. Maddie’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Did they want to be her friend? She finished putting on her shoes and ran up to them, a grin on her face.

“Hello! I’m Maddie!” She was getting used to this introduction thing. It wasn’t so terrible.

“Maddie? With two D’s? Makes sense.” The girl’s comment seemed as though it wasn’t meant to be heard by Maddie but she still tilted her head curiously at the comment, especially when the boys started howling with laughter. Maddie once again found herself shrinking in on herself, though she didn’t really know why.

“Um...w-what are your names?” She once again started fidgeting with her hair, which had been knocked out of its braid in the water and was now a long, tangled mess.

“Oh? Curious about me, huh? Well I don’t mind a cutie like you being interested in me.” One of the taller guys winked at Maddie and she felt her face becoming hot. Why did she hate the way he was looking at her? He was just being friendly...right?

“I saw her first so I called dibs. What do you say, Maddie? You wanna skip dinner and come back with me while no one is around?”

“You creep, she’s like ten years old!”

“I’m twelve actually.”

“See, still a child. Though I will say I can’t wait until she’s older. When’s your birthday?”

“October 25…” 

“Not too bad. Right near Halloween too which is perfect for someone like you. I bet you love dressing up in costumes, huh?”

“W-well...I...I don’t really get to go out during Halloween…”

“Such a shame. Guess we’ll have to make it up to you then! We’ll get everything ready for you to make sure that everyone will look at you that night!”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Hey you stupid brats!”

All heads quickly turned in the direction of a larger, old man wearing a bright tiger striped shirt, khaki pants and clutching a coke bottle. 

“Didn’t you hear the conch!? It’s time for dinner. Get your lazy butts up there this instant!” 

“Yeah, yeah. We heard it Mr. D!” The group of kids walked away, leaving Maddie shifting awkwardly on the sand, not sure what to do. The whole interaction made her feel sick, as if she was an experiment of some kind. It reminded her of how people would stare down at a dead bird that had just hit an apartment window. They would just stare and gawk at it for a few seconds and then walk quickly away with their hand over their mouths in disgust. It made her want to hide and not be seen again, or punch something.

“Kid! Hurry up!”

Maddie once again jumped and looked at the so called “Mr. D” who was looking angrily at her as he drank his soda. She gave a small nod and quickly made her way towards the pavilion, her head lowered and her arms hugging herself to try and give her some comfort. Everything had been so nice. She had finally felt at home. She was finally meeting and talking with people! Why...why did that all come crashing down just from a simple conversation? It didn’t make sense.

She found her way to the pavilion and the moment she glanced up she immediately froze. She had never seen so many people up close before. She had seen groups of people so large that they covered the entire sidewalk from her window in her room but she had never been in the midst of it. And they never looked at her. When she stepped onto the tiles on the building, the heads of the people closest to her stopped and stared openly at her. She hugged herself tighter, letting her nails dig into her skin. Did she do something wrong? Is this not where she was supposed to be? She felt sick. She wanted to cry. She wanted to go home.

Her eyes glanced around quickly, trying to make any sort of sense of what was happening. Then, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. Only two tables away from her sat Marcus with a few other kids. They were laughing and joking with each other, not paying attention to anything else around them. A familiar face. Thank the gods.

Maddie took one last glance at the people who had looked at her. Most had gone back to their conversations but now it was hushed and their eyes would make their way to Maddie every so often. She quickly made her way over to the table Marcus was at and silently sat down. No one even seemed to notice her for a few seconds, as she stared down at her hands, trying to urge them to stop shaking.

“Oh hey! Are you the new kid that Marcus was in charge of?” Maddie jumped in her seat and looked up at the seat across the table from her. He was about twice the weight as the skiny twing that Marcus was, and his smile was just as big. His brown hair was greased back and he absent mindedly ran his fingers through it as he talked.

“U-um...yeah...I’m Maddie.”

Marcus finally noticed the girl and he leaned past his friend sitting next to him to get a better look at her.

“Oh! Hey, what’s up? Didn’t Jimmy say he was gonna have you sit with the Hermes kids at dinner?” His voice wasn’t angry that she had messed up, more just curious, as if sensing there was something wrong.

“Well...I…” Maddie glanced around again and her eyes finally found Jimmy towards the back of the pavilion. Sitting right next to him was the girl she had seen earlier on the beach and Maddie’s stomach twisted. 

“I...went down to the lake and lost track of time...I didn’t know anyone else so I sat down here...I can move if I’m not allowed to though…”

“Move!? No way! You can totally sit with us Maddie!” The girl sitting right next to Maddie smiled brightly at her. “I’m Kelly, nice to meet you. That’s Aaron, and well, you know Marcus. That’s Alicia and Hunter.” The girl motioned to each new person as she introduced them. Maddie felt herself relaxing a tiny bit as each person was introduced and they did nothing but smile warmly at her or make a funny face.

“So you went down to the lake, huh? Didn’t think about putting on a swimsuit? You’re completely drenched!” Aaron laughed as if he told the funniest joke in the world, loud and uncaring about who he might bother with his loudness.

“Bathing suit?”

“Huh? Do you not know what a bathing suit is? You usually wear one when you go to the beach or the lake.” Kelly’s brown eyes looked at Maddie curiously.

“N-no...I don’t know...I’ve never been to the beach before. It was my first time seeing a body of water.” 

“No way! Well no wonder you got excited and lost track of time!” Kelly leaned over and put her mouth close to Maddie’s ear, “though next time I do heavily suggest a bathing suit. It’s better then clothes awkwardly clinging to you.” Maddie’s face went red again and she started folding in on herself again. Kelly looked at her with worried eyes and gave her a small pat on the shoulder.

“It’s alright kiddo. No worries. Just a suggestion. It’s not too bad, I promise.” Kelly’s smile was sweet and genuine, giving Maddie encouragement. While she still felt awkward and strange, at least these people weren’t staring at her or making weird comments. They were nice. She liked them.

As everyone arrived, Marcus explained to Maddie how dinner and most meals worked here. How you could have anything you could possibly want but just make sure you offer some of it to the gods as well. Maddie stared long and hard at the plate in front of her as her mother’s words echoed in her mind from the first and last time they had gone to a restaurant together. Don’t get anything that will require silverware. Not out in public. You have better control at home.” Maddie finally decided on a hamburger covered in ketchup and cheese. It appeared wonderfully in front of her and it was one of the most delicious things she had ever eaten. Yet, even the excitement of the food did not compare to the feeling she got when she had cut off a large chunk of the hamburger and thrown it into the giant bonfire. Watching it burn in front of her eyes as the fire grew brighter and took on the delicious smell made her entire body feel light with happiness. She had just made her first real connection with the gods. She could feel it. They were thanking her and applauding her from thousands of miles away. She had almost started crying from joy.

Dinner made up for everything that had happened before. Marcus and his friends were funny and interesting. Kelly and Aaron were a lot more willing to explain how things were run at camp then Marcus had been before. They explained how one could potentially get claimed, how you could often find yourself being praised by a god that wasn’t your parent which could result in special powers and abilities being granted to the demigod, how there was training and games to keep demigods up to shape and in battle form, and how Mr. D. himself was a god. At that Maddie had lost her mind, completely baffled that she had managed to meet a god and didn’t even know it. The rest of the table had laughed at her shock, but it was a good laugh, one that she was a part of. It was the perfect ending to the day. Maddie didn’t even stick around to go to the campfire, she was so worn out. She had gone right back to her cabin after she had eaten. Darkness began to fall and she felt her nerves kick in with every step back to the cabin. She let out a sign of relief when she was finally back inside with a bright light shining over her head.

Her first instinct was to go right to bed. Let her head hit the pillow and instantly fall asleep. Yet, she sat by the window of the cabin and stared up into the sky.  
There it was. The moon. It looked even brighter and bigger out here in the countryside. It stole Maddie’s breath away. 

“I promise that I’ll do everything I can to make you notice me...there’s nothing I want more in my life then to please you. I will become worthy. I know I will.”


	4. Chapter 3- Her First Time

“Alright. So since this is your first time here, watch the first couple of sessions and then we’ll put you to the test just to see what weapon might work best for you.”  
Maddie nodded her head anxiously and clutched her hands into fists, letting her nails dig into her palms. It had been two days since she had arrived at camp and she was slowly starting to get used to it. Chiron had let her do some less intense training the past days, such as learning how to ride a pegasus (which was so cool!) and how to properly treat wounds. He had seemed hesitant to let her actually start fighting and Maddie had a bad feeling that he somehow knew. Yet, Aaron and Kelly hadn’t stopped pestering him until he gave in, allowing for Marcus’ band of friends to be the ones who personally trained her. 

Things were still...weird. The stares from other campers were getting more and more noticable. Even Marcus had commented on it, saying that they were probably just curious since it had been awhile since they had gotten a new camper, especially one so young. It didn’t calm Maddie’s nerves at all. She still desperately wanted to make as many friends as possible. Jimmy and some of the other kids from the Hermes cabin were really sweet, and then there was Ivan from the Hephaestus cabin who made funny jokes, and also some others from cabins here and there. No one had shown her any hatred or anger yet. But still...something felt off about how some campers interacted with her. She couldn’t place her finger on it and no one else seemed to notice.

“I’ve never interacted with so many people before. I’m still just getting used to it…” That’s what she told herself. She was just nervous and scared like she always is. She was thinking too hard about it.  
Maddie switched her attention back to the giant battlefield in front of her. Hunter had grabbed a large battle ax and was smirking playfully at Kelly, who held nothing but a large wooden stick.  
“You’re seriously gonna use some of that petty fairy magic against me?”

“Don’t insult the power of the rainbow be-atch!” Kelly’s confidence was amazing to Maddie but she didn’t understand why she was using a stick against a weapon purposefully made for cutting sticks.  
“What is he talking about?” Maddie looked curiously over at Marcus. 

He glanced at her but sent his attention back to the two as he spoke, “you know how Kelly is a daughter of Iris, right? Well some of the gods are able to grant their kids magic. Well, at least that’s the easy explanation of it. Powers? Abilities? Doesn’t really matter. Certain kids can do certain things. Some are born with these powers, others who please the gods are then in turn granted abilities, kind of just depends. I have a few abilities myself, courtesy of my father. Who knows, you may have some too.”

Maddie felt her chest tighten. Abilities? Is that what this was? She looked down at her hands and began recalling all the moments before. Her mother’s constant nagging about being careful. Her mother making sure that there were no knives available throughout the day. Her mother being hesitant to give her cutting shears. She couldn’t really remember anything that happened in between those moments, only her mother’s harsh words and scared look afterwards. It definitely wasn’t an “ability” or “magic”. Her stomach twisted into knots. Would she be able to control it today? She better.

Maddie leaned forward in her seat anxiously as she waited to see what was going to happen. The two waited a few moments, analyzing the other’s movements. Then, Hunter charged forward without a second thought. He wound up his ax, ready to strike. It reached out towards Kelly and Maddie immediately put her hands over her eyes, afraid of what might happen if it collided. When no screams were heard she peaked through her hand to see Kelly blocking the ax with her stick. She was grinning from ear to ear and Hunter was straining to gain any sort of push on her.

Kelly put all her weight in one hand and extended out her other hand. She murmured words that were too quiet for Maddie to hear but all of a sudden Hunter was stumbling back clutching his arm where Kelly had attacked. Beneath his arm was skin that was now black and red and sizzling. Maddie gasped in horror.

“He’s fine. Kelly’s Inflict Wounds is powerful and hurts like hell but it won’t kill him. Hunter’s stronger than that.” Marcus didn’t even look at Maddie but could somehow know exactly what she was thinking.

“What were you saying about my magic?” Kelly taunted.

“You little-!” Hunter ran and striked again but Kelly dodged flawlessly, laughing as she did. 

“You realize that you get slower in your movements when you're riled up, right? Better calm down or else!” 

The fight continued in rapid succession afterwards. The movements were so fast that Maddie could barely follow what was happening most of it, but yet, it all seemed so natural to her. It was like she had watched battles her entire life and knew exactly what was going to happen next. She had never seen either of them fight before or what they were capable of, but the moment before every swing she could tell exactly if the swing was going to be an uppercut or a side sweep. She could tell when one was going to be caught off balance before they even stepped down. It was fascinating and wonderful.   
She was also itchy. Ticking. She couldn’t sit still. The muscles in her body twitching, aching to move. She had studied dead animals as often as her mom let her out of the house but now she was fascinated by what the human body would look like lying on the ground, unmoving, not breathing, with blood pooling out around it, and...

“Maddie?”

Maddie jumped so much she ended up standing up from her seat. She blinked a few times to regain her surroundings and saw Kelly and Hunter a little ways away staring at her, as well as Marcus standing right beside her with his arms crossed and his brow furrowed. 

“You good?”

“Y-yes!” Maddie shoved the thoughts she had into the deepest corners of her mind, not allowing herself to accept that she had allowed those thoughts to even exist.

“Okaaaay...anyways. You ready to try some stuff out? Aaron just got back with some possible weapons that might suit you.” He beckoned her with his hand and she followed nervously after him, gently slapping herself to snap out of it. Whatever “it” was.

Off to the side of the field Aaron was polishing some weapons while being surrounded by others at his feet. Everything from swords, to maces, to nunchucks sat around him. Maddie’s hands started shaking.

“You can control it. You can control it. Just like mom taught you. It’s not a weapon. It’s just an ordinary object. No harm can be done with it. Don’t imagine the giant pointy part of it, only the handle.”  
Marcus and Aaron had apparently been saying something and Maddie just absentmindedly nodded along. They handed her a large sword, one that was so heavy that she hunched over as soon as she grabbed ahold of it. 

“Definitely not.” Marcus took it back immediately and handed her a hammer that was relatively light compared to that of a normal one.

“Seriously? She’s small enough as it is. A hammer is not going to do anything.” Aaron took it back.

This went on for awhile, them handing Maddie different weapons and immediately commenting on whether or not it would work for her. She felt like her brain was split in two and it was more painful then she could bare. Every time a weapon was given to her she wanted to just...kill...but then it was taken away in an instant and she felt normal again. Two sides battling. She wanted to rip her brain out.  
Marcus handed her a bow and arrow next with a small smile.

“Since I know you like the idea of her.” 

Maddie stared blankly into his eyes, trying to comprehend what he meant while trying to control her mind at the same time. She added a weak nod and a smile when she understood it was because of Artemis. She tried to line up in position for it but her hands were shaking so badly she could barely keep the arrow straight.

“I-I’m sorry...can I take a break…?” Maddie choked back tears as the pain started becoming so unbearable. The thoughts were pushing her from every single side of her mind. She wanted to scream.   
“We haven’t even started fighting yet. Are you sure you’re not sick or something?” Marcus raised an eyebrow at her.

“N-no...I just...bathroom…” She dropped the bow and arrow and ran off as quickly as she could. She made it to the girl’s bathroom with her legs shaking so badly she was afraid she was going to pass out. She had to clutch onto the sink to keep herself steady. Her breathing was harsh and ragged, hyperventilating as she tried desperately to control herself. Her whole body shook with pain and energy all at the same time. “I can’t do this.” She promptly vomited into a toilet and tried to recover by splashing her face with cold water. 

“I have to. I can do this. I need to show I’m strong. I need to show I’m worthy of being here. If I don’t...they might send me back home. I don’t want that. I don’t want to go back there...at least not yet.”  
Maddie gave herself a few seconds to recover and then, with legs shaking, made it back to the group.

“Hey there! I was just about to come check on you. Are you okay? You look pale.” Kelly inspected Maddie’s face with worry, hovering over her like a concerned mother.  
“I-I’m fine. I was just overheating a little.” Maddie gave a small smile to prove she was okay.

“If you say so….” Kelly looked at Maddie’s eyes as in hunting for a lie but said nothing. “Here! We think we found the perfect weapon for you!” Kelly reached out and handed Maddie a long spear with a large beautifully engraved metal point.

Maddie could feel the sensations rushing back but she forced herself to push them down as best as she could.

“Can I try it?”

“Duh! That’s the point! Hey Marcus! Go easy on her, okay?”

Maddie followed Marcus to the center of the field, her entire body twitching with energy. She could feel herself blacking out. “No. Stay focused. Watch his steps. You can focus on that, right?” She glanced back at their other friends and noticed that Chiron had now appeared, his eyes watching her every move. She felt like she needed to throw up again.

They reached the center of the field and Maddie gulped. “W-what’s your weapon…?” She asked curiously, trying to distract her racing mind.

“I haven’t shown you?” He took out his metal pocket watch that he always had swinging by his side. “When swung from the watch a blade, and when swung from the chain, a whip. Best part? It even tells time!” He smiled proudly.

Maddie let out a laugh at his statement. It was so simple but yet he said it so confidently that it was almost goofy. It was a nice distraction for a couple of seconds from her mind.

“Glad someone finally laughed at that.” Marcus said triumphantly. “Alright. I’ll go easy on you, so just show me what you think you can do. We just want to see if you can handle that kind of weapon.”  
Maddie looked down at the weapon in her hands. She fully took in the fact that she was holding a large object that was meant for one purpose and one purpose only. The flood was too much. And it burst the dam she had tried to build. 

Maddie didn’t really remember much of what happened afterwards. She knew she had attacked first, swinging with the might of a warrior. She remembered Marcus’ face went from cool and collected to genuinely surprised and even scared. He managed to block her first attack but somehow she had knocked him to the ground, swiping at his feet perhaps? She went to stab him right in the gut before he quickly rolled away and used his whip to wrap around her weapon. But she had yanked him towards her instead and immediately went for another strike. This time, he blocked the rod of the spear with his arm. Maddie remembered hearing him cry out and pain and tell her to stop. Her mind kept screaming at her to stop attacking but her body wouldn’t acknowledge it. She kept pushing harder and harder, bending his arm back at an impossible angle. Then right as it was about to snap like the little twig it was, her feet gave out from underneath her as Marcus’ whip entangled her them. She had fallen and the spear was knocked out of her hands. Then, it was done. Just like that...

Maddie sat on the ground, staring blankly ahead of her. She could hear Marcus’ heavy breathing near her and the sound of footsteps running towards them.

“Are you guys okay?” She saw the others run past her to inspect Marcus but didn’t process any of it. What had happened? What did she do?

“Maddison.”

Chiron’s voice snapped her out of it and she looked up at him. He was glaring at her but it quickly melted into a more patient and fatherly look.

“Maddison, are you alright?” He reached out a hand to help her up and she cautiously took it.

“I...I…”

“Well, looks like the little kid’s got some fight in her after all.” Marcus’ voice came from right beside her. She felt a hand land on her head and messed up her hair. It was such a comforting gesture that immediately Maddie felt like herself again, not some lifeless. Killing. Monster. The moment his hand retracted Maddie craved the comfort again.

“Good job. I think we found the weapon for you. Though I do have to say, did you really have to try and break my arm only after knowing each other for three days?”

Maddie blinked wordlessly at him. He was smiling, though it was pained, and he was holding onto his arm gently. She quickly gave him a hug.

“I’m so so so sorry.” Her words were rushed and afraid. Did he hate her now? Was he gonna stop being her friend? Mother warned her about this. It was why she was never allowed to meet other kids. She would only hurt them and then they would hate her.

“Woah kid, it’s fine. Calm down. Most demigods know how to fight, it’s like part of our DNA. We’re just natural fighters. You have nothing to apologize for. Though I will say, I had never seen someone so comfortable with a weapon like you were before.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“What? Pfft, no. Demigods hurt and attack each other all the time, it’s part of how we stay in shape for battle. No hard feelings.” He gently released himself from her grip and smiled at her, “You should be proud of yourself for being so battle ready already.”

Maddie let herself smile back. The others started congratulating her as well, talking about how they could alter the weapon to make it better suited for her with just tiny adjustments. However, Maddie’s eyes wandered over to Chiron who was looking more concerned then approving.


	5. Chapter 4- Let's Take a Picture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: sexual harassment and just overall uncomfy-ness

Maddie was still shaken from everything that happened earlier that day. Sure, her friends had praised and congratulated her but the feeling of irresistible urge to kill shook her to her core. She had always known that had been a part of her, this violent nature. Her mom had warned her about it multiple times and every time she had held any sort of knife, blade, or even a pencil at times, her mind went dark and it felt like her movements became that of which were not her own. She could see and feel everything that happened but couldn’t control it. Her mom always told her it was why she wasn’t allowed to leave the house for long periods of time. Her mother didn’t want her to hurt someone by accident. She needed to control it. She needed to figure out how to control it.

Yet, now her friends were telling her it was a great thing. That she could be a powerful demigod as long as she cultivated and worked with this power. Apparently every demigod was like this in one way or another. Had her mom lied to her? Had she made the excuse just to keep her daughter close to her? It didn’t make sense. All she knew is that even though this ability was supposed to be a good thing, it didn’t feel like it.

Kelly and Aaron had taken the liberty to try and modify the spear for Maddie so that it could be ready in time for the capture the flag game tomorrow. The others went off to take care of some other duties they had. Maddie was alone and wandering around camp. She wanted to explore the woods but Marcus had been explicitly clear not to go near the campers over there. What to do then? She wanted to go back to the lake but the memories from the other day scared her and she didn’t want to mess up again, not when she was finally gaining friends. 

A thought jumped into her mind and her smile brightened immediately. She ran over to her cabin and dug through her bag of stuff. The past couple of days, her collection of items had grown, mainly because people finally told her how long she’d be staying. ‘A whole summer here…’ She had gathered some more clothes, Alicia had been kind enough to offer her some of her old clothes as well. She had even been given a bright orange t-shirt with “Camp Halfblood” written in big black letters. It was her favorite shirt. It made her feel like a part of everything.

She grabbed her polaroid camera and hurried out, letting her feet randomly guide her around camp. She wasn’t expecting much of anything. She had been searching the past couple of days as she walked from place to place, yet, none of her main subjects of interest had popped up. She refused to give up hope though. She knew she could find some if she wanted, and this was the perfect moment to take as much time as she needed to search.

She lost track of time as she wandered around, observing every detail of the ground as she possibly could. Finally, she found something. She froze at the sight in front of her and her heart skipped a beat. No way. Was what she was seeing true? She took small, cautious steps forward to get a closer look. Laying in the grass was a small garden mouse right near the strawberry fields. His eyes were open and staring lifeless, and his neck was awkwardly twisted. The ground around him was pushed down implying that someone or something accidently ran him over. 

It was beautiful.

Maddie immediately pulled out her camera and shuffled around, trying to find the perfect angle to catch the sunlight hitting the ground while also showing off the snapped neck of the mouse. She barely breathed, lest she interrupt the shot. After a few moments of trying to figure out what would be best, she snapped the picture. The whir of the machine bringing Maddie a sense of comfort as she waited for the picture to develop and be spit out. The second the picture appeared, she stuffed the small piece of film in her pocket. She had learned the hard way that letting the picture sit out in the open could lead to it becoming too overexposed and ruin everything. She put her camera back in its case and slowly bent down next to the mouse.

“Don’t worry buddy, I’m sure it was quick and painless for you. Still though, you don’t deserve to be hurt anymore even if you can’t feel it.”

Maddie started digging in the ground, creating a small pit. It wasn’t very deep or big but was the exact size she needed. With dirt covered fingers, she gently rolled the poor broken thing into the hole and covered it back up with dirt. She clasped her hands together and spoke softly to herself 

“While it may not be a human it was still a living thing, please watch over it as it crosses into the next plane. Give it lots and lots of yummy food if possible.” She gave one finally pat on the ground to where the mouse now rested and stood up, wiping her hands on her jeans. She turned around and immediately froze.

The path back to camp was now blocked by four older boys and one girl. Two of them she recognized from the other day, the taller boy and the girl. Two of the boys were children of Aphrodite she recalled. The other she had never seen before. 

“Um...hello!” Maddie tried to pretend like she wasn’t startled by the sudden sight of the group. For some reason her mind went to the picture that now sat in her back pocket of the small dead animal, helpless and alone. 

“Hey Maddie love. What are you up to today?”

“Oh! Well, I was just trying to find some pictures for my collection. I just buried it though so I can’t show you...if you want the photo is almost done developing so I can show you in a second.”  
“Oh? So you like photography then?”

“Yes! Very much!”

“Have you ever thought of being a model yourself?” One of the boys stepped forward and started advancing towards her. She felt her stomach plummet. Something was wrong. She didn’t know why but she was scared. He reached out for her camera and she immediately pulled away.

“Aw, c’mon Maddie. I just want to see your camera. It’s no big deal. I won’t break it, I promise.”

Maddie held the case of her camera close to her, looking down at it worriedly. “I...I’m sorry. This is the only one I have and I can’t afford a new one...I don’t want anyone to touch it.”

“Oh there are plenty of ways you could probably earn money. Not that I plan on breaking it anyways. I just want to take a picture of you, to remember you. Is that so bad?”

Another guy approached and reached for the camera as well but she once again backed away, accidently bumping into the guy from earlier. He took ahold of her shoulders to keep her steady. “Aw, look, she’s becoming attached to me. She’s like a cute little puppy!” 

“C’mon! We wanna hang out with you! Let us see your camera.”

“I-I have to go…”

She broke free and started walking away when all of a sudden her hair was grabbed and yanked back. She let out a yelp of pain and tried to glance behind her, seeing the girl with a fistful of her hair.   
“We’re just teasing Maddie. You don’t have to run away.” The girl wrapped her arms around Maddie, whether to hug her or capture her, Maddie couldn’t tell. She figured out soon though, she felt the weight of her camera leave its case and she immediately felt her heart drop.

“Wait-!”

“Hey, toss it here Sara!” 

Maddie watched in horror as the camera sailed over her head at the guy she had met on the beach before.

“Woah! This is like, super old! Does it even work anymore?” 

“No way! That’s like something my grandma would’ve own! Maybe Maddie’s been lying this entire time and is actually suuuper old.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. She’s gotta ‘protect’ herself somehow right? What better way than to act like a child?”

“Smile Maddie!” 

Maddie was whipped around and forced to face the camera by the girl. She felt herself folding in on herself once more. Was this how the dead animals felt when she took their picture? Wait no...they’re dead. They couldn’t feel like this. She wished she was dead like they were so she couldn’t feel like this either. 

The familiar click and whir made it into Maddie’s ears and she wanted nothing more than to clutch the camera in her hands herself. The guy immediately ripped the photo out and squinted at it.  
“You gotta wait for it to appear or something like that. I saw it once demonstrated on tv back home.”

“Ugh, that’ll take forever! I wanna stare at Maddie’s beauty right away!”

“You’re such a freaking perv!”

“Ah, so what. Doesn’t matter. It’s not like I’m actually gonna do anything. I’m just a cool older brother picking on his little sister, right Maddie? No harm done!” 

Maddie went to answer. More importantly to ask for her camera back, but the words got caught in her throat as she was suddenly scooped up by one of the Aphrodite boys.

“Woah! She’s so freaking light! I told you she was like a puppy! Or maybe even a stuffed animal cause she’s so cuddly!” Her body was pressed close to the one holding her, she felt as though he was trying to squeeze the life out of her. She was having trouble breathing.

“Let me go!” She pleaded desperately, but her voice was ignored.

Maddie started to squirm, desperately trying to escape. She wanted to cry. There was too much going on right now and she just wanted to go back to her cabin and hide. She could hear laughter and jeers around her but everything didn’t make sense. She couldn’t process anything.

“Hey! Hey! I wanna hold the puppy!” 

Maddie was immediately passed to the boy from the beach who threw her over his shoulder. 

“Woah! You’re right! She’s pretty light, though I think I know where all her weight is truly coming from!”

More laughter and jokes. Maddie felt like she was gonna be sick. She desperately flailed around trying to get him to let go of her. She begged to be put down and was once more ignored. With every movement she made, his arm tightened around her. 

“Hey! Hey! Get a picture! I wanna show that I was the one who finally got the lucky opportunity of capturing Maddie!”

Maddie covered her face with her hands, trying to pretend like this was a dream. A nightmare. Anything but reality.

Suddenly the laughter and the talking stopped and Maddie heard a giant thud. She tried desperately to see what was happening by craning her neck to the side. She saw the body of one of the guys sprawled on the grass, her camera lying helplessly next to him. 

“Put. Her. Down.”

Marcus. 

Maddie began to cry at that moment, the flood of emotions she had suddenly bursting open. Marcus’ voice being the one comfort she had right now. 

“Oh look. Big scary Marcus. What are you gonna do punk? We haven’t done anything wrong, we’re just playing around. Right Maddie?” The boy carrying her did another little spin and Maddie once again started struggling. 

“No! Let me go!” 

“You got three seconds to put her down or you’re dead Michael.” 

“Fine, fine whatever. But take your freaking whip off of my buddy’s leg you hear?” 

Maddie was gently lifted off and placed on the ground. She stumbled as she tried to get her balance. Her first action was to run over to her camera and scoop it up, cradling it like a baby in her arms.  
“Now let go of my buddy, Marcus or I’ll rip you to shreds myself.”

“You’re lucky that I don’t want to see your disgusting faces anymore.” Maddie heard Marcus’ whip snap back into place and he walked towards her, leaning down and looking at her. 

“You alright?” His voice low and soft.

“Aw, look at Marcus. Bet I know now why you really wanted us to stop. You want to keep Maddie all to yourself, huh? Didn’t take you as one to be so fixated on a girl’s-”

Marcus attacked so fast that Maddie didn’t even see it. One minute he was next to her, the next his whip was wrapped around the tall boy and knocking him over.  
“You piece of-! Get him!”

Madness broke out. The campers all started attacking each other. Maddie curled into a ball to protect her camera, too afraid of what might happen if she watched. ‘He’s gonna get hurt. He’s gonna get hurt because of me.’ The sound of yelling and swords clashing and noises of pain filled her ears. It was too much, she wanted it to stop.

“Don’t think this is over you fucking bastard. We’ll get our revenge on you. Mark my words!” The boy’s words echoed in Maddie’s mind but she couldn’t tell if she was imagining it or if the fighting had actually stopped. She refused to look up, her body trembling so much she could hardly breathe.

“Kid? Kid...Maddie!” Marcus’ voice made her snap out of it and she finally looked up. Marcus stood in front of her, his weapon still active, in its sword state. He was breathing hard and his clothes were covered in dirt and mud. He had blood dripping down from his arm and a bruise already forming around his eyes. His lip was also split open and bleeding, covering some of his teeth in blood. My Fault.  
He knelt down on the ground beside her, staring intently at her. “Did they hurt you?”

She shook her head and hugged herself tighter. She looked down, ashamed of herself for being so pathetic that she got her friend hurt. She started crying again. 

“Hey. Hey Maddie. It’s alright. They’re gone. They’re not gonna hurt you anymore. No more tears, alright?”

“They hurt you….”

Marcus paused and then laughed. “You’re a weird one. You’re more concerned about me then you? I’m fine Maddie, they barely scratched me. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before. After all, they weren’t the ones who almost broke my arm.”

Maddie found herself laughing weakly along with Marcus. Slowly she untangled herself from her ball of safety and wiped the last of her tears away.

“Hey. It’s gonna be okay. They’re a bunch of jerks. Especially tormenting a little thing like you. Fucking sickos…she’s a freaking child...” He murmured the last part under his breath as if it was something he didn’t want Maddie to hear. Something he himself was annoyed he even had to say. He cracked his neck and stood up, offering a hand out to Maddie. “C’mon. You should wash up before dinner. I’ll probably make a run to the Apollo cabin after you’re done...then we can go get some food.”

She gently took his hand and used it to help her stand up. “Well...you could go to the cabin while I clean up...you don’t have to wait for me.”

“Maddie, after what happened? I’d be an idiot to let you fend for yourself again. I’m not leaving your side until I know for a fact no one at camp is gonna bother you again. Just...just make sure that from now on you don’t let yourself be alone for long periods of time. Or specifically, alone with creeps like that.”

“I promise I won’t.” Maddie smiled at his words. Even though things were new and different and scary at times...she had a friend. A friend who just put himself in a battle against five other people to protect her. She quickly wrapped her arms around him.

“Thank you Marcus.”

“Friends stick together, don’t they? Besides, if I stick around, then I can find a way to get back at you for almost breaking my arm.”

Maddie let go and pouted at him, her face scrunching up in annoyance. “Why do you keep bringing that up? I said I was sorry!”

He let out a laugh, smiling down at her. “I know, I know. Don’t worry about it. I promise I won’t tease you...much.”

“Hey!”

He spun around and began to walk off. Maddie stomped her foot in the ground like an impatient child but quickly followed after him. Asking him what she could do to make up for the incident and him avoiding her questions. While they walked, Maddie inspected every inch of the camera. A few spots of mud and a few scratches, but the camera itself still worked perfectly. Somehow, that made everything better.


	6. Chapter 5- The First Official Battle

Maddie got up bright and early the next morning. Today was the day that everyone had been telling her about since she first arrived at camp. Capture the flag! Apparently, it was some old camp tradition that pitted the cabins against each other in a test of skills, strength, and strategy. Everyone kept talking about it and she couldn’t wait to see what all the excitement was about.

Things were better after Marcus had watched over her yesterday. He seemed to have told some of their friends and they all agreed to make sure that Maddie wasn’t to go anywhere alone from now on. She wasn’t going to complain, after all she was used to it, mother had always had the same rule whenever they went out into the town. She felt a lot happier and safer knowing that her friends were with her. Though...she would be lying if she wasn’t nervous about the fact that they may be near her on the battlefield today. If she hurt one of them like she hurt Marcus the other day…

She shook her head to get rid of the thought. No. I will control it this time! Now that I know it’s supposed to happen I don’t have to be scared of it! Then I’ll have control! Right…?

She quickly dressed for the day and hurried to the pavilion where the group said they were going to meet her. They were gonna get a quick breakfast and then start getting ready for the big battle today. The two cabins in charge of the battle today were the Demeter cabin and the Hecate cabin, Marcus and the others had already agreed to join the Hecate side. 

That was another thing that was really cool about the camp. Even though you might be claimed by your godly parent already, campers were able to choose their alliance for events such as these. So you could be a child of Hecate but not side with the rest of your cabin mates and join the Demeter side. It was kind of weird overall but Maddie liked it. It meant that she could always be on her friend’s team no matter what, or she could be on the team of her favorite god.

She got to the pavilion to see Aaron and Hunter already there. They waved and she quickly trotted over to them.

“There you are! Here! Ta Da!” Aaron immediately held out the spear that she had used in the fight the other day. It had been shortened down so it was less awkward for her to hold and it had been freshly polished so the celestial bronze at the top was sparkling.

Maddie took it with wide eyes of amazement. She had to struggle not to drop it immediately though when she felt her mind switching again.

“Thank you.” She said with awe and carefully placed it down on a nearby table. When given a questioning look from the boys she smiled back awkwardly, “I just don’t want to get it dirty or break it before today.” She said hoping that they wouldn’t ask any more questions.

“So I think the plan for today’s battle is that we’re going to have three teams, front lines, defense, and distraction. Distraction, from what I hear, is probably going to be a lot of illusions and magic so Dolos kids are probably going to be mainly in charge of that. Personally, I think that Marcus, Alicia, and I should be front lines. Maddie, you might want to stay on defense since it’s your first battle.” Aaron sat down at the table and started eating as he explained the strategy to them.

“What do you mean by that? You think I can’t be in the front lines with you guys?” Hunter’s brown eyes glared dangerously at Aaron.  
“Never said that. I just think for this battle in particular, you may want to hang back.”

“Yeah, fat chance buddy. Make Kelly babysit the newbie. What is she doing in your grand mind might ask?”

“Kelly is definitely on the distraction team. Her magic is getting more powerful everyday. I’m not saying you’re babysitting. We all saw yesterday, Maddie can definitely hold her own if she needs to. I’m just saying that against the Demeter kids you’d be better off hanging back.”

“Unless I get a direct order from the head of the Hecate cabin, I’m doing whatever I want. You’re not the boss of me.”

“Alright. So how about you stay back Hunter? It works best for what we’re aiming to do.”

Maddie watched Aaron struggling to hold back laughter as they stood around with the head of the Hecate cabin, Ashley. Hunter’s face went red with fury. He opened his mouth to protest but immediately shut it, instead settling for a glare at Aaron and mumbling “shut up.” 

“You ready for your first real battle Maddie? I’m still upset I didn’t get to see you destroy Marcus yesterday. Anyone who can knock that dork down a few pegs is good in my books.” Alicia gave Maddie a pat on the back and smiled widely down at her.

“I...It was an accident…’ Maddie said quietly and Alicia just laughed in response.

“You’re such a sweetheart. Once you’ve been through a few battles you’ll be saying you beat Marcus with pride. He’s a big strong man, if he’s annoyed that you defeated him then he’s got bigger problems.”

“Alicia I would appreciate it if you didn’t make me seem like a wimp.”

Alicia turned around and stuck her tongue out at Marcus and then began to laugh brightly.

“We should go get into position. Game will be starting soon,” Marcus led the group towards the forest. The group talked, joked, and laughed as they made their way out to their side of the field. Maddie tried to join in, but holding the spear was not making it easy. The only way she was able to get from point A to point B right now was because of the group distracting her. Happy thoughts. Happy thoughts. Just like mother always said. Happy. Happy.

Maddie was stationed close to the flag, which they were hiding in a tree. She was about thirty or so feet away. Close enough that she could see the flag area if she needed to but far enough away so that it wasn’t blatantly obvious as to where the flag was in proximity to where she stood. Marcus had protested at first when he found out she was going to be alone but Ashely had assured him that there were going to be other campers near and around her, hiding so she wasn’t really alone. Apparently a lot of campers tended to try and go after newbies so Maddie was supposed to be a bait of sorts. She was fine with this and agreed with Ashley that she would be fine. Marcus had reluctantly accepted it.

As soon as she got to her position she threw down the spear and let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. She was confident that she would be fine. Even though she was supposed to be “bait” she wasn’t scared, strangely enough. She knew that her teammates were near, even if she couldn’t really see them.

I just gotta stay and patrol this area. Fight anyone who comes my way, or at least try, and then the others will join me and help. Easy peasy.

Maddie wasn’t really sure what to do. Sure, her job was to patrol but when the cannons fired, announcing the beginning of the game, she just kind of awkwardly stood around. She continuously walked around, examining every corner around her a thousand times over but nothing happened. Every so often a shout or an explosion would come for the distance that would make her jump. Overall though, she was just by herself, hanging out and enjoying the nature surrounding her.

A large shout then came from only a couple yards away, screaming “Backup!” Maddie watched as a few campers that had been hiding in the trees around her suddenly jumped down.   
“Stay here! We’re gonna go help the others!” One of the older girls yelled over her shoulder at Maddie as she charged off. Maddie watched them all go and anxiously started playing with her hair. Now she was actually alone. Not that big of a deal. It’s fine. The others will take care of it and then come right back. I’ll be fine by myself for a few minutes. She went back to pacing around, though now she was a little more tense. 

When she heard the rustling behind her, she immediately stopped and turned around. 

“Plan worked like a charm, wouldn’t you say guys?” 

She wanted to run.

It was Michael and two of his friends again. They were slowly approaching her just like before.


	7. Chapter 6- Loosing Control

“Aw, don’t look so surprised Maddie. We got some inside help to let us know where you were gonna be. We knew from the start we were gonna pay you a visit. That bastard is gonna regret getting in our way and messing with us. Best way to get revenge? Get at the one thing he was trying to protect.”

Maddie charged towards her spear, which was lying only a few feets away. She screamed when her hair was grabbed just like before and she was painfully yanked back and pushed to the ground.  
“I know it’s your first capture the flag game Maddie but you should know better then to drop your weapon.” 

She struggled under the weight that pushed her down but it was useless. She was too small and weak. She cried out for help but a hand was put over her mouth. Instinctively she bit down at it, as hard as she could. The guy yelled in pain and pulled away, lessening the weight on her just a bit. She rolled away and quickly got up, running towards her spear again.  
“Looking for something?” 

One of the guys was holding her spear and sneering down at her. “Listen Maddie, we’re not gonna do anything terrible to you. Just hold still and be a good little girl.”

Maddie had had enough. She was bubbling with anger right now. She wanted to be left alone. She didn’t want to see these guys anymore. She wanted to run and hide and and and...  
Kill.

She ran forwards towards the one with her spear. He laughed at her determination and seemed to dare her to attack. He went into a battle stance and Maddie’s brain told her to stop and hesitate. Her body didn’t listen. She charged forward and at the last second, dived under him and used her momentum to slide forward, her body ramming into him and knocking him over. 

The other two started laughing at the scene.

“Wow Greg. I knew you were bad at fighting but to be trampled by a little girl? You’re pathetic.”

“Shut up!”

Maddie wasn’t paying attention. She had stood up as soon as her body had collided and ran for the spear. When her hand latched onto it she felt two things.   
First, a sense of relief that she had some way of protecting herself. 

Secondly, the overwhelming urge to destroy everything in her path. 

And she loved it.

The world became a blur for her just like last time. She saw the one guy who had been trampled stand up and the other still laughing but slowly recovering. Then, Michael was behind her, grabbing her from behind. She didn’t even register that the way he collapsed and doubled over was because the wind was knocked out of him. She didn’t realize that it had been her own elbow that had done so.

“Get...her…” Michael grunted between breaths.

The other two charged forward, one casting a magic attack that erupted the tree next to her into flames. Maddie didn’t even notice. She had never felt more free. More alive. More….everything. She became a flurry of attacks. She barely even registered the pain of her hair being grabbed and pulled close before she stabbed in retaliation. She didn’t feel the slash against her arm and the blood pouring out. She didn’t feel the flames licking at her feet as the fire spread through the forest. She only felt the intense desire to kill. With every successful hit on one of them and seeing the blood pour from their limbs made her crave it more and more. She wanted to know what they would look like soaked in blood. She wanted to see their eyes become soulless. She wanted to watch them go limp and never move again.

Michael’s two friends eventually decided that it was too intense and ran off. Either from fear of the flames or the fear of Maddie, she didn’t know. It was only Maddie and Michael now. He had some scratches on him and ash covered his face and body making him look more like the monster Maddie knew him to be. Maddie knew she was hurt too but she didn’t care. The fire stung at her eyes and the smoke filled her lungs but she only saw her opponent and how best to defeat him. Both of their movements were blurs. She didn’t have time to process each attack because she was already making the next one. In the distance she heard cannons explode but she didn’t know what they meant anymore and didn’t care. 

How long the battle went on Maddie didn’t know. But it was the end. It was his end. He had collapsed from exhaustion and was staring up at her, his back against a tree, one that had so far managed not to burn. Maddie stood over him, her spear pointed directly at his chest. Her smile was large and unforgiving. Her eyes seemed to burn like the roaring flames behind her.

“M-Maddie. Look. I won't mess with you anymore. I give up, alright?”

Was he talking to her? So what. That meant he was still alive. Kill him. He was on the verge of death. She could sense it. He was holding onto an arm that was bleeding profusely and bent at an awkward angle. One of his eyes was closed shut by blood, dirt, and swelling. He could barely catch his breath amongst the smoke. He wasn’t dead but close. But wait. What was the fun in killing him right away? He had caused her so much pain and fear in just a few days. She had to return the favor. She lifted up her spear and struck it directly into his thigh. He let out a howl of pain. Good.

“Maddie…? MADDIE!”

Other voices started calling out to her but she heard and registered none of them. She lifted up her spear and struck it into his leg again. Gaining more screams. Yes. Beg for your life. You don’t even deserve it in the first place. She began laughing. His terrified, pained, bloodied face was beautiful. She wished she had her camera to capture this moment forever. She pointed the spear right at his neck, accepting that the torment was over and it was time to end it.

“Please...no...no…” 

Yes. Beg. Beg like I once did. Die.

She pulled her arm back for the final strike and then…

Maddie stopped and blinked. She looked around, fully realizing that she was in the midst of a burning fire with a crumpled up teen in front of her. He didn’t look so intimidating and scary now. He was crying. Her eyes finally landed to the person to her right who had his hand on her head and staring at Michael.

“Can’t say you don’t deserve this. Luckily for you I’m not gonna let her kill you.” Marcus’ voice was quiet yet still heard over the roaring of flames.

The longer his hand was on her head the more aware Maddie became of the world around her. Other demigods were screaming and desperately using their magic to put out the flames. Others were being supported by campers as they were rushed to safety. The entire world around them was a mix of red, orange, and black. Maddie’s lunges screamed at her and her body howled with pain.   
Michael’s eyes darted between the two of them and as Maddie slowly lowered her weapon he let out a small breath and passed out. Maddie looked up awkwardly at Marcus.

“Did we win…?”

“I think you’re the one who really won here. You’re lucky you’re not the one who was about to die...or worse…” Marcus growled as his eyes narrowed at Michael. 

Maddie couldn’t tell if she was supposed to feel proud or ashamed. She didn’t know what she felt right now. She had completely lost control. She could barely even remember it which made it worse.  
Then, suddenly amongst the chaos around them, Maddie could hear the distinct sound of someone clapping. She looked around and saw that a few feet away was a man leaning against a tree that was on fire. He didn’t seem to even notice or care though. He was taller than the average adult man and was wearing rocker-like clothes with black sunglasses. His black hair seemed to mix into the shadows and smoke around them. Maddie felt something tug in her memory but she didn’t know why. She had never seen this guy before...at least she didn’t think so.

“That was quite the show Maddie. I’m impressed.” He moved towards her and smiled in such a way that reminded Maddie of the Cheshire Cat. 

“Who are you?” Maddie asked.

“...Ares…” Marcus’ words were a mixture of shock, amazement, and anger.

“Ey! Give it up for the kid! Surprised you recognized me so easily. Yep. That’s me. Ares. God of war. Pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

The flames had been doused and campers were starting to quiet down as they one by one noticed that one of the gods had made an appearance. Some bowed down, others stood in shocked stillness at the sight. Maddie felt Marcus tense up next to her, but her attention was focused on the man...no...the god in front of her.

“Anyways. Sorry not sorry to appear at such an awkward time. I can see you guys got your hands full with the little mess that these obnoxious kids made.” Ares nodded towards the slumped over Michael and smiled. “You really did a number on him didn’t you? I honestly couldn’t be prouder. I knew you were gonna be a special one as soon as I first saw you. Didn’t think it would be this intense though. Oo boy.” 

“I-I’m sorry. Um...Mr. Ares. I-it’s a pleasure to meet you. I-I-I’m honored. I’ve read and heard so much about you and your presence here is simply stunning and I-”

Marcus hit Maddie in the ribs to stop her from rambling and Maddie closed her mouth. She took a breath and tried to recollect her thoughts. “W-what exactly do you mean…?”

Ares let out a laugh that sounded like a bomb. “I’m talking about you Madison! Daughter of Diana Easton herself! My very own daughter.”

Maddie’s jaw dropped. Was...was he serious…? She was...she was…

Her face broke out into a smile and she ran up to him and hugged him. 

“Hey, woah, woah, woah kid. I get you’re starstruck but I’m not the kind of person to go around hugging.” He gently pushed her off but her smile did not stop and her eyes sparkled with excitement as she stared up at him. “Anyways. I came down to watch the match today. Figured you’d make quite the scene, huh?” He playfully pushed her on her shoulder and she stumbled back from the force, continuing to hang onto every word. She heard a low growl from behind her. Marcus? She couldn’t tell and didn’t bother to check.

“You’ve got quite the special little gift there Maddie. I call it a battle mind. Most of my kids have it but yours is more intense to put it plainly...as you can see for yourself. The ability to completely lose yourself in battle and become a war fighting monster, unable to feel or think. A double edged sword most would call it. The ability to not let anything stand in your way and destroy everything in sight but also the inability to realize when you need to stop or when you, yourself are unable to continue on. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a child like that, much less one that had it so pronounced like you. You might be able to control it to an extent in the future, at least, enough to not lash out while holding a cutting knife…” He lowered his glasses to reveal eye sockets full of flames, but he winked at Maddie at the statement, a knowing look that made Maddie feel somewhat embarrassed. “It won’t ever go away though, I can guarantee that. However, it may be what saves you in the end.”

“Wait...so you’re telling me that Maddie is just some heartless killer just cause of you? That’s a fucking joke. Have you met Maddie!?” Marcus had enough guts to try and glare at the god in front of him.  
“Oh trust me, I know. Good thing you got her when you did. If not she wouldn’t have stopped until he was truly dead. I find it funny though that you were able to snap her out of it with something as simple as a pat to the head. Might wanna keep that in mind if she starts getting out of control again.” Ares gave an approving sort of nod to Marcus. “That’s about all I got for you though Maddie. Great job again. I look forward to how you make your dad proud in your battles from now on.” With a brilliant flash of light, the place where Ares just stood was suddenly empty again.  
Maddie was still frozen in shock. It had actually happened. She had been claimed. It was like a dream come true.

“Well, well, well. Daughter of Ares, huh? Congrats Maddie. Never would have seen that coming.” Aaron’s voice came from beside her. She felt herself smile. Then the pain and exhaustion from everything hit her. Before she could stop herself, she felt her knees buckle from underneath her and she fell over, passing out on the grass.


	8. Chapter 7- Taken Care Of

Maddie groaned as the bright light hit her eyes and she slowly woke up. She was in a place she had never seen before, sleeping in a bed that was not hers. The entire room was too bright and the gold painting on the walls did not help. The entire place smelled of a mix of morning dew, sweet nectar, and cough medicine. Maddie wanted to just roll over and go back to sleep but there was a sharp pain in her head and her ankle, making it impossible to get comfortable.

“Hey! You’re awake!” Aaron walked over to her, holding a tray of food and Maddie’s mouth watered at the sight. “Can you sit up?”

Maddie struggled to do so and Aaron had to set the tray down and help her lean against the back of her bed. Her body felt stiff and numb, but not in pain. Which was strange cause from what she remembered she had been hurt a lot.

“What happened?” She asked, her voice cracking due to her dry throat. Aaron handed her a sandwich, peanut butter, banana, and bacon. A weird combination but one that Maddie loved immensely. 

“Well, not sure how much you remember. Apparently, one of our team members found out that the kids bothering you wanted revenge on Marcus, so he agreed to help. He caused a large distraction to let them sneak past. They weren’t even after the flag just wanted to hurt you specifically.” Maddie watched Aaron’s knuckled turn white as he clutched his hands into fists and his tone went sour. He quickly released it though and smiled. “Looks like they messed with the wrong person though, am I right? Daughter of Ares. Never would have guessed it...Anyways. As you know, you fought them off and almost killed Michael...good riddance I say...then you met your dad...and then due to your injuries you passed out. Marcus and I brought you here to the Apollo cabin, they’ve been watching over you for the past day.”

“Day!?” Maddie almost choked on her food.

“Yeah...you’ve been asleep for an entire day. Kelly and Marcus were here most of the time, waiting for you to wake up. I told them to go get food just now cause they hadn’t been eating or sleeping. Man, they’re gonna be upset that they missed you waking up…”

Maddie let Aaron ramble on and took a better look around the room. There were musical instruments that lined the walls and some campers milling around. Some wore hospital gowns, others wore face masks and gloves, others were just in regular clothing. There was a distinct tune playing in the background though she couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from. The entire place was a cabin/hospital/music store. It was beautiful. 

“So the Apollo kid taking care of you said you should be alright. You were almost on the verge of death before they helped you...He said you may still have a few aches and pains here and there but you’re good to go besides that! Well...I mean...in terms of pain.” Aaron slyly handed Maddie a mirror and she looked quizzically at him. She brought it closer to her face and stopped when she saw her reflection.  
Her face still had spots of dry blood and ash, obscuring some of her freckled from sight. A large bandage covered her entire right cheek and another one circled around her head. She had small cuts up and down her face, making her look like she had been in a fight with a cat or a thousand little needles. The most shocking part though was her hair. Her auburn hair that she kept in a long braid was choppy and missing. It barely touched her shoulders now. There were even some areas that were completely bald and instead were patches of bright red skin that seemed to be burn marks that were still healing.

“Yeah...so maybe don’t battle in fire next time?”

Maddie started to laugh.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“I look awful! I love it! I hated my long hair but kept it cause my mother liked it...I was also getting sick and tired of those bullies pulling me and grabbing me by my hair. This is wonderful! Hey, hey. Can you grab my camera from my bunk and take a picture of me?!”

Aaron stared at her as if she had grown another head. Here she was, in the hospital essentially, after a giant, traumatic fight, and she had lost most all of her hair, yet she was laughing like a schoolgirl. He couldn’t help but smile and nod.

“If that’s what will make you happy then sure.” He stood up and hurried off, leaving Maddie alone in the hustle and bustle of the Apollo cabin. A soft breeze drifted through the room and she felt as though it was him, sending her a sign that she was safe and that he was watching her.

“Oh! Hey! You woke up!” One of the kids wearing medical garb walked over to her. He seemed to be about her age and had messy, sunny blond hair. He smiled warmly and held out his hand to her.  
“I’m Thomas. I was helping you out when you were brought here. How you feeling?”

“Better. Thank you. Ah! I’m Maddie.” Maddie awkwardly smiled as she realized she had forgotten to introduce herself.

He laughed in response, “don’t worry, you’re friends told me when you first arrived. How’s that ankle of yours feeling? It was pretty bent out of whack. Luckily we got ambrosia to help with that.”  
“Ambrosia? You mean like the food of the gods!?”

“Huh? No one told you? We have ambrosia and nectar that only demigods are able to eat...well we still need to be careful, if we take too much we could burn up from the inside out but that’s detail work. It works wonders.”

“Woah…”

Maddie and Thomas took some time conversing, talking about the Apollo cabin and how they operated as a mini hospital for the camp. He let her know that in the end, Hecate cabin won capture the flag which Maddie was happy to hear. He even took the time to take off the bandages on her face, head and leg to replace them with new ones.

“I only heard bits and pieces about everything that happened between you and those guys but I hope you’re doing okay now. If you need any help in the future let me know, I’d be happy to kick some creeper butts for you.” 

“Thank you. The whole thing still doesn’t make a ton of sense to me...I don’t really understand why they kept following me…”

Thomas paused and looked at her, then he started to laugh. “Are you serious? I think it’s pretty obvious to anyone who has eyes.”

“Huh? N-no...I’m serious I don’t understand…”

“Well, maybe I can shed some light for you. It’s what Apollo kids do best, right? Create light?” He winked at her and sat on the edge of her bed, by her feet, and she cocked her head curiously at him. “For starters, you are quite beautiful and cute.”

Maddie felt her face heat up and she shifted awkwardly. The only one she had ever heard make statements like that before was her mother, granted her only human interactions before coming to camp had been with her mother, but still. It felt weird and unnatural. She didn’t know how to respond.

“My guess though, the main reason why they were targeting you in particular is cause you’re new around here. You don’t really know a lot of people and it’s pretty easy to tell that you don’t know much about the world. Makes you seem like an easy target to mess with.”

“Oh…” Maddie deflated into herself again, the words hurt but he did seem to have a point...it made sense…

“Then of course, there’s your body too…” A light pink swept across Thomas’ pale skin and he coughed awkwardly, looking away from her.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well-”

“Maddie!” 

Maddie’s attention was drawn away by the sudden sound of her name. Aaron waved happily to her as he walked towards her bed, Marcus, Kelly, and Alicia quickly in tow behind him.

“Sorry it took me so long! I couldn’t find your camera and then I wanted to make sure I found these guys to come say hi to you too. Couldn’t find Hunter though…Anyways! Here’s your camera!” 

Maddie’s eyes lit up at the sight of her camera and she quickly reached over for it, but was quickly intercepted as Kelly wrapped her arms around Maddie and pulled her into a hug.

“Thank the gods I was so worried!”

Maddie giggled, “I’m alright. My ankle still hurts a bit but I’m fine!”

“Can’t say the same for your face and hair…” Alicia made a playful face of disgust and laughed, Maddie joined her.

“Wait, wait! Aaron! Take a picture pleeease? I wanna document what I look like!” Maddie bounced up and down anxiously in her bed, wanting for him to hurry up the process.  
“Okay, okay. Give me a second to get the camera out of the case…”

“You’re the only girl I know that could look like that and beg for a picture. You really are a strange one…” Marcus leaned against the wall near Maddie’s bed. Though he seemed calm and collected like always, Maddie could see the relief he had in the way he smiled. It was just like when she had first been targeted and she had told him she was alright.

“Daaamn, you have a Polaroid Maddie!? I always thought these things were cool!” Aaron had successfully pulled the camera out of the bag and was admiring it from all angles. 

“Where’d you get it?” Kelly had taken Thomas’ spot on her bed since he had left as soon as the group had joined Maddie.

“My mom got it for me a few years ago for Christmas! I only got to use it every so often...here though I’ve already gotten to take some really good pictures!”

“Oh...yeah...I saw those when I picked up your camera. You are really interested in roadkill, huh…? Smile!”

Maddie turned and smiled brightly at the camera, taking in the moment when it flashed, clicked, and whirred, starting to produce the picture. She hadn’t realized it, but Kelly had decided to photobomb the picture at the last second, making a goofy face off to the side. When she saw the picture later she had laughed brightly at the sight of her friend.

“It’s not the roadkill that’s fascinating.” Maddie reached over and grabbed the photo from the camera, putting it into her pants pocket to once again try and ensure the best quality of photo. “It’s the process of death itself. Every creature dies differently. Whether it’s a bird hitting a window, or a fly that has been squashed by a fly swatter. Every single creature has its own beauty when it comes to death. Some die with their eyes open, others have their eyes closed. Some it’s raining and others it’s a bright, perfect day and it’s like their death didn’t even happen! I want to capture each and every moment when I encounter it! Finding the perfect moment to capture the pain, the hurt, the fear that death brings? It’s wonderful! Death is fascinating! Where do we go? Well...obviously I know now that the Underworld exists since the gods exist so they’re taken care of by Thanatos and Hades, but before, there was no idea! Even now, has any living creature ever been to the Underworld and been able to talk about what it’s like? Unless there is, then we have no clue what the afterlife is like! It’s so fascinating and wonderful and beautiful and-”

Maddie stopped herself as she registered the confused, and disgusted faces of her friends. Did they not understand? Did they not think that death was beautiful? Had she said something wrong? Given the wrong piece of information? Messed up her grammar at one point? 

“Ah...now I see it. Definitely a daughter of Ares…” Alicia recovered from her shock quicker than the others and smiled at Maddie. “You really are a strange one.”

“Did I say something wrong…?”

“No! Not at all! It’s just well...what you were describing...not a lot of people feel the same way, you know?” Aaron gave her an awkward smile, trying to encourage her.

“Oh...should I not do it?”

“No! Of course not! If that’s what you’re passionate about then it’s what you’re passionate about! It may be weird to some people but don’t let that stop you. I, for one, may be looking at roadkill with new eyes at least. Hey! You should show me your pictures sometime!” Kelly leaned forward towards Maddie with excitement dancing behind her eyes.

“But Kelly you hate-”

“Shut up Marcus!”

The group continued talking and joking with one another. Eventually, Aaron went over to talk to Thomas about Maddie’s condition and Thomas gave her the okay to leave. Alicia and Marcus helped her get out of bed and stand up. The group started to leave, but with each step Maddie took towards the doors her heart felt more and more heavy. She stopped in her tracks and spun around, looking for Thomas. Once spotted, she made her way over to him, ignoring the confusion from her friends.

“Thomas!” 

“Hm? Oh! Hey Maddie. Did you forget something?”

“How...I heard that one can gain the favor of other gods even if they’re not their godly parent...how do I gain Apollo’s favor?”

Thomas blinked at her as he processed the question and then laughed. “I think you’re the first person to ever ask me that. Most demigods try to get on the good sides of say, Zues or Aphrodite. I’m surprised someone like you, especially being the daughter of war, wants to befriend Apollo.”

“How do I do it?”

“Alright, alright. Well...my dad’s a little weird. He can be very picky about demigods, both those that are his children and those who aren’t. He’s proud of all his talents so he likes all his kids to be masters of all, music, medicine, you name it. Doesn’t understand that most are better at some rather than others...anyways! Probably start off by learning what you can about music and/or medicine. Also just keep making offerings to him, he’s one who is very picky about that. Uhh...other than that I'm not sure. But if you have any questions about him, let me know. I’d be happy to help you. Take care Maddie.” He spread his arms for a hug and she happily replied, squeezing his torso. 

“Thank you thank you thank you!” Maddie mumbled the words into his shoulder and grinned from ear to ear. She let go of the hug and quickly trotted off to her friends with new found determination.   
The sun and the moon, the two who have looked after her since birth. She would make sure that without a doubt, she would gain their favor. She would become the perfect demigod in their eyes. From this day forward, everything she did, she did for them.


	9. Chapter 8- Breaking Away

After that, nothing really changed. 

Well, the amount of stares and people whispering about her changed a lot. 

Almost everywhere she went people would glance at her and turn to their friends. Maddie sometimes heard snippets of their conversations and couldn’t tell if she should be proud or embarrassed. 

“A daughter of Ares? No way, she’s a pipsqueak!”

“I heard she almost killed Michael! Can you believe that? I wish she had.”

“I heard that part of her ability is that if you stare into her eyes for too long your brain will melt and you’ll die instantly!”

The rumors and gossip didn’t make Maddie feel too heroic, or even good about herself. She just wanted to be seen as a normal girl and gain friends. She just wanted to have fun and play with everyone. Yet, after the incident people either regarded her as a superior fighter, practically bowing at her feet or trying to sneak peaks at her when she was training, or they would run away from the mere sight of her. She hated it. There were times when she even started to wonder what it would be like if the capture the flag game hadn’t happened...or if Ares wasn’t her father. 

What made up for it though were her friends. Even though she desperately wanted to become friends with everyone at camp, the friends she did have made it more bearable. After the battle and finding out that Marcus was able to calm her battle mind, Chiron had made it a rule that until she had enough control over it that she wasn’t allowed to do any form of combat unless Marcus was with her. That was fine with her, it meant that she would always have someone to help her train. She had been excited about the rule in all honesty. Kelly tried to fix Maddie’s hair after the incident but after realizing there was no hope trying to salvage it, they just shaved it all off to let it grow back in naturally. She had offered to buy Maddie a hat but Maddie refused, preferring to enjoy the fact that she was no longer forced to have the long hair she always hated but her mother loved. What Kelly did give her though (that Maddie couldn’t say no to) was a special harness for her spear to safely secure it to her back. This way she could have it at a moment's notice and she wouldn’t have to hold it all the time and risk going into her battle mind. Maddie had been afraid at first that since she was pretty short that the spear would end up dragging on the ground awkwardly behind her, but Kelly explained that the harness had a special magic placed on it. Whenever the spear was put into the harness it shortened the weapon to have it fit, but immediately turned back to normal as soon as it was taken out again. Even Hunter was warming up more to Maddie, going so far as to teach her how to swim, which she enjoyed immensely.  
Then there was Thomas and some of his friends. After agreeing to help her get in contact with Apollo, Maddie had made a point of trying to visit him once a day. He seemed surprised by her determination but had no arguments when it came to teaching her and helping her. A lot of the time though, their “lessons” turned into them goofing off and having fun.

The other major difference was her living arrangements.

It took less than two hours of her leaving the Apollo cabin for her to be hunted down by three of the Ares kids.

“Maddie right? I’m Chameleon, that’s what everyone calls me anyways, head of the Ares cabin!” She had barely even waited for Maddie to reach out her hand before she had forcibly grabbed it and started shaking it. She was a lot taller than Maddie, and her clothes were ripped and dirtied showing tons of wear and tear from over the years. Yet, she held herself proudly and her large smile was infectious.

“Nice to have a new Ares kid around. Surprised you’re such a bean though. Eh, no matter. We’ll fix that up in a heartbeat. How you faring after that killer fight? Man, wish I could’ve seen it...seeing that jerk pummeled to the ground. I would’ve sat back and watched with a bag of popcorn and tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. Anyways, we figured we’d come offer our help. Gathering your things and help moving you to the Ares cabin, right? You are moving in with your siblings, right?”

Maddie’s eyes had grown wide and she glanced at the other two Ares kids for approval. After saying “yes” with such joy and excitement she had started bouncing up and down, the group flew to the Hermes cabin and immediately started taking down all her things, packing them up, and taking them over to her new cabin. The Ares cabin felt more like home than anywhere else the minute she had stepped into it. Especially since whereas before people seemed weirded out or disgusted by her pictures that she took, most of the Ares kids looked at them in awe and complimented her on her work. They encouraged her to hang them up around her bunk and quickly ran off to give her tape to do exactly that. The whole place made Maddie feel like she belonged once again and it was wonderful. It was the best decision she had made since arriving at camp. 

The days rolled by, full of endless training and practicing and laughing. Each day, Maddie felt more and more like she belonged here...and each day she dreaded leaving more and more. It was hard to imagine life as it had been after all that had happened. Going home, trying to tell her mother about her experiences but probably just being brushed off, getting rounded up into her room, and then being forced to stay in there for the rest of the year until summer again. Even if she could argue that she now knows why she acts the way she does, the fact that she wouldn’t have the extra safety net of Marcus around would not help. In fact, it would probably convince her mother more than ever to not let her leave the house. That thought made her sick to her stomach. How was she going to survive now that she knew what grass, and dirt, and trees, and the ocean felt like? How would she be able to sit still when all she wanted to do was train and battle? (There was no way her mother would let her have a spear in the house.) How would she survive without being able to talk to her friends or in this case...anyone besides her mom for the next year? She couldn’t even ask her friends for their phone numbers to call them because everyone knew demigods couldn’t have phones, as it attracted too many monsters. The more and more she thought about it, the more she felt sick to her stomach at the idea of going home to her prison. Before she knew it...there were three days left before she had to go home.

“Maddie? Earth to Maddie!”

Maddie startled as she forced herself to escape from the circling and spiraling thoughts that had plagued her over the past couple of days regarding her home and her mom. She was sitting in the pavilion with her friends eating lunch. Kelly was waving her hand in front of Maddie’s face trying to get her attention.

“S-sorry. Spaced out for a moment…” Maddie said, her voice trailing off.

“Yeah, we noticed.” Marcus barely looked up from his food. There was a distinct thud from under the table and Marcus tensed with pain, giving a glare towards Alicia who smiled innocently.  
“Anyway...we were wondering if you had any plans for today? Marcus and I were going to do a bit of training if you want to join us.” Kelly said.

“Oh! Um...yeah...I can join you guys...later though...I should probably start packing up first…” Maddie slumped back into her seat and picked mindlessly at her half eaten food in front of her.

“Pack? What for?” Aaron said, his mouth full of food.

“Huh? W-well, my mom’s picking me up in three days...isn’t camp closed for the rest of the year? Aren’t you guys going home?” Maddie looked around at all of them, her face twisting in confusion.

“What? No. We’re year-rounders. Most of us don’t even have a home to go back to…” Alicia mumbled the last part under her breath and Maddie opened her mouth to ask what she meant but thought better of it.

“What do you mean by year-rounders?” She asked instead.

“Did we never tell you? You’re allowed to stay at camp all year if you want.” Kelly said.

“WHAT!?”

Maddie jumped up from the table, almost spilling her lemonade on herself. She stared at her friends with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open. That was an option!?

“Did we never tell you? I guess we’re all just so used to it we forgot that not everyone is like that. Sorry about that.” Marcus ran a hand through his hair awkwardly, embarrassed by their forgetfulness.

“This changed everything! How do I stay? I want to stay! Please tell me I can stay!” Maddie’s words tripped over one another. She looked around frantically as if a magic book would appear and suddenly let her sign her name to a contract granting her permission to become a year-rounder.

Aaron started laughing at her, “you’re more than welcome to stay, all campers are! We just need to talk to Chiron and Mr. D about it. We can go right now if you want, I’ll come with you.” Aaron started standing up from the table, stretching out his back as he got up.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Maddie ran over to him and grabbed his hand, practically yanking him behind her. He let out a startled “woah” as he caught his balance but smiled and happily followed behind her as the two made their way to the Big House.

Maddie was practically jumping up and down as they stood at the door for the main house, waiting for one of their leaders to appear. She had yet to let go of Aaron’s hand, holding onto it as if it was her last chance of succeeding in her mission and if she let go it would be the end. After what seemed like eternity the door swung open to reveal the round, plump face of Mr. D. Looking less than pleased to be there.

“If you’ve come to try and steal a few minutes of air conditioning then tough luck.” He grunted, taking a giant swing from his soda can.

“No! Not at all! I wanted to ask if I could stay here all year. I didn’t realize that was an option and Aaron told me I could, would it be possible?” Maddie barely let herself breathe as the words spilled out from her mouth.

“You want to stay all year?” Chiron seemed to magically appear from behind Mr. D, who moved to give his wheelchair space as he wheeled himself out onto the porch to better talk with Maddie.

“Yes! Yes, please!”

“But I thought your mom said that she was going to be picking you up at the end of the summer? Wasn’t that what was agreed upon?”

Maddie’s bouncing stopped and she tried not to let her face fall. The thought of her mother already making plans without consulting her felt like a punch to the gut.

“I...I wasn’t aware she said that. But! I really...really like it here. And! We’re worried about me slipping into battle mind, right? She was always worried about that. Here I have much better control of it especially with Marcus around! Wouldn’t it be better for me to stay?”

“Typically we only let campers who have nowhere else to go stay all year round…” Chiron glanced at Mr. D who was squinting at Maddie like she’d grown a second head. Of course he wouldn’t understand. He always believed camp was a dreadful place. Why would anyone want to stay? But Maddie was different. This was where she belonged. This was her home.

“Excuse me, Chiron. I understand your concern but Maddie is right. If she’s able to stay here then she can better hone in her skills and train herself from slipping away. It would be beneficial for her. Also, when Ares came he mentioned that she was stronger and more intense then any of the other Ares kids. Don’t you think that would attract more monsters in the end? Since she’s more powerful, her smell would be more potent. It honestly would be safer to keep her here.” Aaron flashed his best superstar smile, and gave a quick wink to Maddie.

“I suppose...if Maddie wishes to stay I honestly can’t just kick her out of camp for no reason. However, it would be best to talk it over with your mom since she had other ideas. You can use an Iris message to contact her. Make sure you do so before the end of the week so she doesn’t drive all the way here for no reason.”

Maddie’s eyes lit up and she once again started bouncing. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Aaron had to physically start pulling her away from the house to get her to stop her words of gratitude. She looked up at him and smiled brightly.

“You’re the best Aaron!” She said.

“Well, you’re not wrong there Maddie. But it’s the least I could do for you. Glad I could help out” 

“Thank you!” She wrapped him tightly in a hug and he laughed and hugged her back. This was it. She was going to live here. Forever! This was her home now, and no one could stop her.

“WHAT!?”

Maddie flinched and stared back down at her feet, daring not to meet her mother’s eyes. Her mother stood a few feet away from her, on the outside of the barrier to Camp HalfBlood. Maddie stood inside the barrier, the barrier that prevented any mortal from stepping inside of camp. They could still see and hear each other, they just weren’t able to touch one another.

“L-like I said...I-I decided that I want to stay here for the year.” Maddie said, her knuckles turning white as she squeezed her hands.

“And you couldn’t have told me that before I drove all the way here? Or bothered to tell me at all?” 

Maddie dared to look up at her mother, who was currently holding her head with her hand in annoyance. Even though Maddie had been dreading going home, she couldn’t deny that she missed her mother. Her brown hair always pulled back into a messy ponytail, her abundance of tattoos covering her body that had once led to Maddie drawing on her own skin so she could be “just like mama!”, her clothes that always, without fail, had traces of dirt on them. If they were close enough Maddie would be certain that her mother would still smell of soil and various flowers. She longed to reach out and hug her, but knew that if she did she wouldn’t stand a chance of returning.

“I-I’m sorry. I was going to...and then I got caught up with my studies, and training, and swimming, and-”

“I’m sorry, training?” Maddie’s mother stared at her with such intensity that Maddie shrunk back into herself.

“Y-yes…”

“Maddison you know as well as I do that is too fucking dangerous for you and the people you are around. I specifically instructed for you not to be able to hold any weapons while you were there! It was part of the deal! Those bastards went back on their promise…” Her mother took two steps, already rolling up her sleeves to start a fight and was immediately stopped by the barrier.

“I wanted to train! Plus we found out a way to help! Which is why it’s better that I stay here! So I can better learn how to control my battle mind and be able to be normal like everyone else! I won’t lose control!”

“Battle mind?”

“Oh...right...we never referred to it like that back home...uh...that’s what dad told me it was. A battle mind.”

Maddie’s mom froze and her mouth hung open. Maddie bit her lip, unsure if she should continue or not.

“I...I got to meet dad. Ares...I mean. He was happy to see me” Maddie said, desperately waiting for a response.

“I...see. Well, you’d figure it out one day I guess,” her mother ran a hand through her hair, causing more strands to fall out of her ponytail. “Just because you have a name for it now doesn’t mean that it’s alright for you to be messing around with anything dangerous! You could kill someone!”

“I...I know...but…”

“Maddison get out here right now. We’re done discussing this. We’re going home.” 

Maddie froze. She knew that tone. It was the tone that showed there was no more joking, no more caring, no more love. If they were at the flower store, most of the vases would not survive the interaction. Maddie could feel the tears stinging her vision. ‘Alright.’ She thought. Her years of obedience kicking in. She took a small step forward before stopping herself. 

No.

If she went back there was no promise that she would be returning. Especially after today and this interaction. She may never see the camp again. She may never get the chance to learn about the gods and train as much as she did now. She may never know the coolness of the ocean again. She may never see her friends again. Was it worth it to disobey her mother and fear her wrath every day from now until they met again? In all honesty, her mother could be scarier than most of the monsters she had started to learn about. But…

“I...I’m sorry.”

Maddie’s voice was barely above a whisper as she turned around and walked away.

“Maddison? MADDIE!”

Her mother’s screaming voice disappeared the further she walked away. 

She never looked back.


	10. Chapter 9- Start of the New Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Author’s note. This is where time skips will start happening throughout her life. Not every single day is important to give background on Maddie as a character so I’m only going to be highlighting certain scenes that helped shape her into the person she is now in the campaign. I will make it clear whenever there has been a jump in time but just know that that’s how things will be happening from now on)

“Hey Maddie! I saved you a seat!” Chameleon called over to her as she made her way into the amphitheater for the nightly bonfire. She made her way down the rows of benches and sat down next to her and a few of her other Ares siblings.

“First bonfire of the summer, huh? Glad you decided to join us for this one unlike last year. It was like pulling teeth to get you to join us last time. Even Mr. Grumpy Marcus attends them on occasion and he hates social interaction.” Chameleon teased.

Maddie spotted Marcus and his friend a few rows away and waved happily at them. Marcus was the only one who noticed. A look of slight surprise crossed his face to see her at the bonfire but he responded with his lopsided grin and went back to talking with the others.

“He’s not that grumpy.” Maddie responded, sticking out her tongue as she sat down. She then glanced at the sky line past Chameleon, at the sinking sun in the horizon, as it got darker and darker. Her fingers anxiously twisted together. “It’s just...I...I don’t like being out so late at night…”

“Jeez, you’re thirteen and still acting like a five year old. It’s not like you have a bedtime or anything here.”

“N-no! It’s not like that...I just...I…” Her eyes darted quickly back towards the sun, where the last rays of light just began to sink.

“Maddie, you’ve been here for almost a year at this point. How many bonfires have you attended? Two?”

“Three! Four...including this one…”

“Exactly! You’re one of the happiest people I know and you love making friends and talking with people. The bonfire sounds like it should be your favorite activity! You should come join in on it more!” She nudged her playfully and Maddie responded with a weak smile.

“I...I just don’t…”

“Wait. Maddie. Don’t tell me. Are you afraid of the dark?”

“Huh!? W-what! N-no! That’s for little kids...I’m not…”

“You are! That’s why you avoid staying out at night and why you’re so quick to run back to your cabin at night!” 

“W-what!? N-no...It’s just that I can’t see anything and you never know what could occur in the dark! Someone could be standing right next to you and you’d never even notice!”

“Alright, alright. I get it. You’re afraid of the dark. Noted. If it’s so awful for you, you know you could just ask me to walk you back to the cabin or something. I want you to be able to have fun with everyone, and part of my job as head of our cabin is to make sure everyone is a-okay!” Chameleon said, her smile bright and welcoming.

“I...thank you…” Maddie’s eyes sparkled with happiness. She had been here almost a year and already everyone was so helpful and willing to assist Maddie. Even though most of the campers had left after the summer, Marcus and his friends as well as a handful of others had stuck around. Over the past months, Maddie got to know all of them even better. She hung out regularly with Marcus and Kelly and everyone. She had also become close with the other year rounders, Xander, Lana, Minnie, Peter...they had all reached out to her one time or another. Teaching her how to properly bandage wounds or how to sneak the best food to the pegasi when it wasn’t feeding time so that they would be more friendly to you. She had learned so much and had better learned how to interact with others too. Her social anxiety was still rough but she at least knew how to hold a conversation and not stammer as much. That didn’t mean her past months were perfect though. She had made a fool of herself multiple times. Thomas and Chameleon, as well as all the Ares kids had all left for the year. She had missed them terribly and had almost tackled Chameleon to the ground with a hug when she had arrived earlier that day. She had cried when Thomas invited her to eat dinner with him tonight because she was worried he had forgotten about her over the winter and wouldn’t care about her anymore. 

The winter had been awful as well. After spending an entire year at the camp she realized just how awful the months were when the sun hid away. She was no stranger to New York’s intense climate, especially in the winter time, but spending every day inside was a lot different then braving the cold inside of a cabin in a giant open field. The camp had a protective barrier around it, so it honestly wasn’t terrible during the winter months compared to what it could be. The barrier prevented intense winds and dreadful snow storms that in any other circumstance, would’ve caused everyone to get stuck inside their cabins. Yet, even though it fended off the worst of the elements it still hadn’t been pleasant, though it had been interesting to see Marcus train during those days, since the additional winds made him ten times stronger. The worst part had been the lacking presence of the glorious sun, one of her biggest reminders of why she had gone against her mother and why she was so devout to her lessons when other campers weren’t. It had been painful. The winter had made her realize that she would never complain about the heat or sun again. It meant too much to her now.

The fire was nice. Chiron and Mr. D welcomed everyone back to camp which led into joyous campfire songs and jokes, just as it always was. This first day of summer made Maddie remember how much she loved Camp Half-blood. Whatever doubts she had gained over the past year were gone as she sang off key next to Chameleon. Even as they were plunged into deep darkness Maddie barely even noticed, instead having too much fun with everyone.

The night got late and one by one everyone started returning to the cabins. Maddie couldn’t help but feel bad when Chameleon opted to leave the campfire early to help Maddie get back safely. The two walked together in the darkness, with only a dim light from Chameleon’s flashlight leading the way back.

“By the way, whatever happened to your mom?” Chameleon asked.

“H-huh? Oh...well...she stayed outside of camp for a couple of days, demanding that I return home. Eventually she went home...but...she keeps sending letters to the camp and trying to contact me...she hasn’t returned yet, though. I wouldn’t put it past her to try again.” Maddie retreated into herself the more she talked. While she had been extremely happy to be able to stay at camp she couldn’t help but feel guilty. Was what she did right? Her mother had done everything to protect her and raise her all on her own. Yet, Maddie had run away at the first chance she got. Of course her mother would be upset. But Maddie wanted to be with her friends and be free. She didn’t know if she would ever get that freedom again if she went back home. It wasn’t fair to her mother though. It wasn’t like she had ever hurt Maddie on purpose. Her mother loved her, she had always said so and Maddie betrayed that love. At the same time though, why hadn’t her mother ever told her the truth or tried to get her help for her battle mind when it was obviously connected to her father? Why had she been determined to keep Maddie out of site and confined? All of it was too confusing for her and she hated that what once had felt like such the right decision was now something she was so conflicted about.

Chameleon watched her curiously and let out a small sigh. “Families are strange. Parents are strange. We don’t often always understand what they do or why they do it. But you made a choice and in my eyes, it was the best choice. I don’t know everything obviously but from the way you act whenever she’s brought up and from the way you are in general, I think it’s good that you have escaped that world. Your mom will understand, it’ll just take time.”

Maddie quickly wiped her eyes, hoping that Chameleon hadn’t seen the tears starting to form. She didn’t want to show weakness in front of one of her closest friends but her words struck a chord within Maddie’s heart.

Chameleon left Maddie at the cabin after the two said goodnight. She quickly got ready for bed and took a moment to stare up at the moon. 

“Hey moon...my mom...she’ll be okay, right? Before now, it was only her and I. All her friends and family left her. They didn’t like interacting with her...I...I don’t think I can blame them. She got angry easily...she would scream at me a lot. Remember those days...weeks...when mother wouldn’t step outside of her bedroom and I had to slip candy bars under the door just to try and get her to eat? Do you remember? I do...I was so scared...I’m glad you were with me those nights. I don’t think I could have gotten through without you by my side. There were times too when I...when I would mess up and...and that’s all she would talk about...how I...I was worthless and pathetic...how it was why…” Maddie choked back tears but forced herself to keep talking, she felt safe with the moon by her side, “how it was my own fault I wasn’t allowed to leave. Cause I was pathetic without her...I...I don’t blame everyone for leaving...in the end...I left too...”

Maddie rubbed the tears from her eyes and took a few breaths to steady herself. She knew it hadn’t always been easy with her mom. But she wasn’t there now. She was here, with her friends. That’s what mattered. And her mom must’ve accepted her decision because she was no longer at camp, right? She hadn’t appeared for the past year. It was all okay. After all, Maddie wasn’t her mother. She was different. She was friendly and nice and good...and no one would leave her. She didn’t want to experience the same pain her mom had felt. She wasn’t going to allow it.


	11. Chapter 10- Two Opposing Views

“Marcus!”

Maddie ran and waved over at her friend as he stopped and looked over his shoulder at her.

“Oh, hey there Maddie. What’s up?”

“You’re going to go train right?”

Maddie saw the slight tensing of Marcus’ muscles as she asked her question and as he turned away from her.

“Uh, yeah. Kelly, Hunter, and I were going to practice for a bit I guess…”

“Can I join you!?” Maddie bounced up on the balls of her feet excitedly. “It’s summer again so I should probably start getting used to fighting again cause we didn’t really get the chance to do it over the past year and I need to be able to help you guys during capture the flag as well as show Chiron that I’ve improved even a little bit!”

“Maddie…” Marcus continued walking as Maddie followed closely behind him, his eyes glanced at her and he sighed.

“I...just...don’t think today is a good day. Next time”

Maddie stopped and pouted, “you said that all during the fall, winter, and spring. When is next time? I need to train eventually...I need to…” her words fell apart.

“I need to show Chiron and my mother that it was a good idea for me to stay...if not...they may…”

“I...I know. It’s just...ugh nevermind. I’ll tell you later.”

Maddie watched Marcus turn his fast pace into a quick run and head off to the battle grounds. Maddie felt her stomach twist into knots as she watched his retreating back. Had something happened? The entire past year Marcus was always willing to hang out and spend time with Maddie but every time Maddie brought up training he would shoot her down or say “next time.” Chiron had made that rule that she wasn’t able to train unless it was with Marcus or he was at least nearby. Yet, Marcus seemed to hate the very idea of such a thing, preferring to just let her spend the past year studying about the gods and about other helpful demigod tricks and lessons. But every demigod knew training was the most important aspect of their life here. It was the only way to defend oneself against creatures, monsters, and other evil beings. At this rate even the new campers who had never held a weapon before would be leagues above her. So why? Why wouldn’t he help her?

He must find me annoying. Or I’m so bad that he can’t even stomach the thought of trying to train someone like me. Or he’s still mad that I almost broke his arm.

Her thoughts continued to circle and swirl as she slowly walked over to the training grounds. She had found that even though she hadn’t gotten the chance to train she could at least watch her fellow campers to try and learn that way. It wasn’t helpful that none of her close friends used a spear so it was hard to learn tactics for that. But she could at least observe what did and did not work.

She sat down at the stands, anxiously playing with her hair that had begun to grow out once again. It wasn’t the same as her long hair but it was a comfort that she could still play with the small strands.   
She watched Kelly and Marcus walk out to the grounds. Kelly looked over at her and waved, to which Maddie responded with a wave of her own. She watched Kelly turn to Marcus and start talking with him. She seemed upset or concerned about something and Marcus kept shaking his head. Maddie let out a small sigh and stared at her feet as she playfully swung them.

“Hey Maddie. What’s up.” 

Thomas’ voice was like music to her ears and she perked up, looking at him. 

Oh, hi Thomas! What are you up to?” 

“Hm? Nothing much. I saw you and Marcus headed over here and figured I’d watch how much you’ve progressed. Are you waiting for them to be done?”

Maddie deflated and went back to staring at her feet. The sinking pit in her stomach returned. “I...well...that’s what I was hoping for too but Marcus said that I can’t today...he’s been saying that pretty much all year long too...I guess I’m just really bad or he hates me or-”

“Wait , wait, wait. Marcus hasn’t let you fight all year? The newest and greatest fighter, the child of Ares hadn’t been able to fight all year long!? Is he nuts? This entire camp will suffer without your amazing power!”

Maddie looked up at Thomas with hope shining in her eyes. Did he really mean it? Was she the most powerful demigod in camp?

“Do you mean it?” Maddie asked, her voice hitching on the words.

“Duh. C’mon, let’s show Marcus how much of a fool he’s been.”

Maddie hopped up and out of her chair and ran quickly after Thomas as he grabbed his bow and led her off onto the field. Maddie glanced at Marcus and Kelly and stuck her tongue out at them. Too bad they were in the middle of a battle and weren’t paying attention to them.

“Alrighty then, do you know simple battle stances?”

“Huh? N-not really...I kinda just do whatever. When I’m holding a weapon everything just kinda-”

“Damn Marcus, you really are the worst instructor. Okay, mimic everything I do.”

Maddie and Thomas spent a few minutes making sure that Maddie’s feet and arms were positioned properly. Maddie tried to keep herself focused, but her body was itching to grab the spear riding on her back.

“Okay. Pretty good start. Now try doing so with your spear in hand to get used to the weight of it. Oh, and please don’t go full psycho on me, I rather not end up like you know who.” Thomas winked at her and Maddie anxiously grabbed for her spear which had never left her side since she got her harness. It felt like a limb had been reattached to her. Her body buzzed with excitement but she tried to breathe and hold herself back. 

Just do the movements he just taught you. Nothing else.

Maddie’s hands shook as she slowly copied the movements she had just learned with her staff in hand. She felt awkward, like a child learning how to walk. It was even worse that Thomas was staring at her to make sure she was doing so perfectly. 

“Perfect! You’re a natural. But I guess we all knew that already.” Thomas chuckled. “Alrighty, that’s good. So...we all know you’re good at up close and personal fighting. But we need to make sure you can handle anything. So! Let’s see what you can do against my bow here.”

Thomas stood a few feet away from her and readied his bow. “Alright, so I’ll try shooting at you. See if you can dodge them and get to me. Your best bet would be to close the distance between the two of us if the long ranged fighter is on the ground, like I am.”

“Maddie?” Maddie glanced over her shoulder as she saw Kelly and Marcus standing at the opposite end of the field, cautiously watching after finishing their own match.

“What are you-?”

“Maddie! Focus! Do you want to learn or not?” Maddie snapped her eyes back to Thomas and tried to ignore Marcus’ eye barring into her soul.

“Sorry! I-I’m ready!” Her hands were shaking like crazy and her focus was slipping, but no. She could do this. It was dodging, not attacking. Nothing dangerous.

“Okay!”

The first arrow narrowly missed her face but she shifted out of the way on instinct. She could feel the wind from the arrow brush against her cheek and her heart pounded against her ribs in retaliation. She barely had time to process it before Thomas released another arrow at her, calling out to not be distracted. 

“Maddie!”

Right. Focus. The arrow that almost hit her wasn’t her concern and neither was Marcus. Her concern was the next arrow and then the next and then the next.

Maddie charged forward, using her spear as a shield against arrows, knocking them aside with reflexes that reflected that of an action movie star. Her breathing intensed and her pace quickened, tightening the space between the two with more efficiency with every step.She felt herself slipping, barely holding onto the thread of sanity. Her eyes narrowed, locking onto the target that was Thomas, desperate for his blood just as he was for hers. Another arrow narrowly missed her leg and she faltered for a split second before continuing on her war path. She zig zagged across the field, her target becoming closer by the second until-

Thomas stared up at her with shock in his eyes, holding his arm out in front of himself for protection. Her spear was inches away from his neck, midswing for the fatal blow. Marcus stood beside her, breathing hard, his hand firmly placed against her head. He ripped the spear out of her hands before letting go of her.

“What the hell were you thinking!?” Marcus turned to face her full on, his eyes seething with rage. “You know you’re not allowed to fight without me, Chiron said so himself. You almost killed your friend! This is why I didn’t want you fighting dammit, it’s dangerous and not something you should take lightly!”

“W-what?” Maddie’s mind reeled, both trying to comprehend what had just happened and also what Marcus was saying. “Y-you don’t want m-me to become strong?”

“I don’t want you to fight! You’re a wild card! This curse Ares gave you is a danger to everyone including yourself!”

“B-but I need to become a powerful demigod! I can’t do that if I don’t train!” Maddie exclaimed back.

“You can’t do that if you’re dead or on a fucking war path every moment of the day!”

Thomas had stood up by this point and stepped in between the two of them, his eyes narrowing at Marcus. “She’s a demigod just like all of us, Ares involvement or not she needs to become stronger. She can’t spend all day knitting sweaters.”

“Who in Hades gave you the right to think you have any say in this. Who gave you the right to let her train? I’m the only one who has been permitted to do so cause I’m the only one who can snap her out of her mind.”

“You’re not her parent! Are you just going to leave her out of everything for the rest of her life? You have no right to her. I’m just as much as her friend as you are.”

Maddie felt sick to her stomach, the two boys’ yelling got louder and louder, overlapping each other. She wrapped her arms around herself, bracing herself, flinching at every swear, growl, and raised fist.

She was waiting for the moment they would strike against her. Her mother’s yelling blended into their voices, filling her head with more terror. She just wanted it to stop.

“ENOUGH!”

Kelly’s voice screamed through the grounds and both boys stopped mid sentence and stared at her glaring eyes.

“Neither of you are in the right here. Maddie is welcome to her own choices and feelings. Neither of you have any right to police her. You’re both acting like children fighting over a toy. She’s a human being for gods sakes. Just fucking shut up.” She sounded like a disappointed mom, her words hanging in the air. Without another word she walked up to Maddie and gently took hold of her arm, steering her away from the madness. 

“You alright?” Kelly asked her quietly.

Maddie managed a small squeak and nodded her head.

Kelly sighed. “Boys. They’re so annoying sometimes. Don’t take it personally, okay? Marcus is just protective. After what happened last year he doesn’t want to see you risk getting hurt. It’s a thing of his, it took us forever to let him allow Alicia to ride another pegasus after the great Flying Accident of 2175. He means well, I promise. Honestly, today might’ve helped kick him into gear, seeing you train with someone else and he was just barely able to stop you in time. It’ll work out, I promise.” 

Maddie gave another little nod but she felt a little better. Marcus didn’t hate her. She wasn’t annoying. He just wanted to help her and make her happy and safe. And maybe now….maybe now he’d finally see that she was worthy of being trained.


End file.
